


Is This Love?

by Selvaria



Series: Alternate Reality [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: 18+, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Biting, Confessions, Denial of Feelings, Dirty Talk, Drama, Drama & Romance, Feelings, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Grinding, Love, M/M, Mutual Pining, NSFW, Non-Canon Relationship, Original Male Character(s) - Freeform, Overthinking, Pet Names, Pining, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Reader-Insert, Romance, Smut, Stress Relief, Swearing, Teasing, Temptation, Threesome - M/M/M, Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-01
Updated: 2019-06-28
Packaged: 2019-08-14 04:40:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 37,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16486067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Selvaria/pseuds/Selvaria
Summary: You find yourself drowning in thoughts of Shiro and desperately try to deal with the emotions he stirs within you.





	1. Restless Nights

**Author's Note:**

> This story is one of my older works that I wrote about a year or two ago. I can’t remember because I failed to write the date on the papers. xD; It’s based off of another story I wrote for the Voltron series that I may or may not decide to post in the future. This is basically an alternate version of events to that one. It is also only one part of it since I fail at writing a simple short story. lol Every time I try to write something short it always turns into a series of chapters without meaning to. I may post the other parts of this one at a later date.
> 
> My friend wanted to read this for her birthday, so I typed it up and decided to upload it here for her to read. I have nearly zero self-confidence, but she encouraged me to go ahead and post it so others can read it too.
> 
> By the way, I’m still awkward with writing smut, so be gentle with me. ;3 And yes, Kuro’s pet name for the main character is shameless self-indulgence and it just fits my version of Kuro. lol
> 
> Happy Birthday, Tsu!

Sighing heavily under the dim light of the room you look over to the clock Coran had given you. If the time was actually correct then it was already very late at night. It was difficult to tell though given the way you currently felt. Being in space really screwed with your sense of time, but you didn’t quite care about that at the moment. You were exhausted and unable to sleep, lying on your bed as an uncontrollable warmth flooded your body like a raging fire that refused to extinguish.

The earlier sparring session with Shiro was still lingering in your mind, leaving you utterly restless as you tossed and turned while desperately trying to shake the memories away. The way he pinned you to the floor, his body firmly pressed against yours. The grin that would sneak onto his face when he knew he was winning. His beautiful grey eyes boring into yours, slightly obscured by that white streak of hair matted to his forehead from the strenuous exercise. That body of his that would put a Greek sculpture of Adonis to shame. Every touch, every stolen gaze, every word that spilled from his lips was like a siren’s call that took hold of you. Whether Shiro realized it or not, he was _hot_ , and it was torture every time he was near you.

_Fuck. I am so damn hopeless._

Wide awake and unable to stop thinking about him, you moved your hand down to palm over your crotch, warring with yourself over whether or not this was the right thing to do. A flush of embarrassment and guilt lights up your face at the thought of it, but you couldn’t just ignore this predicament either. It had been so long since you’ve allowed yourself any kind of sexual release that the flames of desire were overwhelming and threatening to consume you.

_I can’t. It wouldn’t be fair to Shiro, right?_

You huffed in frustration. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t wipe away the memory of today’s post training. The shower room was quiet with only the two of you present. You had tried not to look, tried to ignore his presence, but curiosity won out in the end and you were captivated by what you saw. The way the water hugged every crevice of his body as it made it’s way down. The sighs of content relief as it cooled his flesh after a good workout. It was in that moment that you had wished for him to just grab you and _take you_ against the wall. To dominate you, making you tremble and moan his name over and over like a broken doll.

_Fucking hell._

Shifting at the discomfort, you cursed yourself for letting curiosity get the better of you. Your hopeless desire was throbbing within the confines of your clothing. It wasn’t going to go away on it’s own, and there was no way heading back to the shower to cool off was going to help either. It wasn’t worth the risk of one of your friends spotting the shameless tent in your pants anyway. You had no choice anymore. It was do or die, and honestly, you felt like you were dying inside. Not to mention the pain building in your groin the longer your needs went unattended.

_Shiro…please forgive me. If I don’t do this I’ll go insane._

Slipping your hand past the fabric of your pants and underwear, you begin stroking your shaft softly. It was so hard and sensitive now that it made your whole body shudder and your breath hitch with each stroke. You knew the guilt was going to eat you alive and that it was going to be embarrassing to even face him after this, but you pushed the thoughts aside. Now wasn’t the time to think about the consequences. Morals be damned, your body felt like it was going to combust and you desperately needed relief. 

Grabbing at your pants and underwear, you slide them down to your knees to keep them from getting dirty. You did not want to have to explain to Coran why there were stains in your garments that shouldn’t be there. Closing your eyes and gripping yourself again, you begin to pump your aching erection slowly, letting your imagination take hold of you. In your mind, Shiro was the one who was touching you. His strong hand working you at his own pace, teasing you playfully before wrapping his mouth around your cock, masterfully working his tongue in a way that would make your whole body writhe in ecstasy. You pictured the way he’d watch your every reaction as he sucked on you, leaving you breathless and at his mercy.

“Shiro,” you gasp, daring to slip a few fingers inside yourself while imagining they were his that were moving in and out of you, stretching you open just for him. It was something you’d never ventured into before while masturbating, but your desire for this man and the images in your mind spurred you forward. Your mind begins to flutter with thoughts of him pressing you against the wall from behind, his chest flush against your back as he nips at your ear. You move your hand faster in response, desperate to reach that end you so desired.

“Shiro…please, fuck me.” You beg quietly, losing yourself in your fantasy. You were so heavily into it that you hadn’t even noticed the sudden intrusion upon the sanctuary that was your room.

“Enjoying yourself?”

Your eyes snap open, widening in fear as heat washes over your face in embarrassment. “K-Kuro?!”

_Shit! This can’t be happening to me right now! How the fuck did he get in?!_

Kuro chuckles as he leans against the wall, staring at you intensely with hooded eyes and a smirk on his face. “I knew you were still up, but I gotta say…I wasn’t expecting _this_ ,” he teased as he admired the expression on your face slowly shifting into panic, but still flush with the shame of getting caught in the act. “Don’t look so ashamed of yourself. I’m honestly not surprised you’ve got Shiro in your spank bank. Who doesn’t? You act like the rest of us don’t jack off when we need to.” He laughs softly while raising an eyebrow at you, daring you to try and counter what he’d just said, as if you could.

“ _No_ , Kuro! It’s not what you--I mean… _fuck_.” You buried your face in your hands in an attempt to hide yourself from him, laughing nervously at how fucked up this situation was. Kuro just witnessed you touching yourself to his brother-- _his twin_. How were you going to explain this? And how the hell had you forgotten to lock the damn door? You feel like you’re about to cry from the guilt and shame, but you try to shake it off, begging him to leave and never speak of it again.

Kuro laughed darkly in response as you heard the sound of his boots making their way toward you. You briskly look up from your hands and into his eyes. They were hooded and hungry. A predatory aura radiating off of him. “You think I’m going to let you get away that easily?”

Before you could register what was happening, Kuro gripped your wrists and pushed you down into the bed, his body looming over you in a display of dominance. Your breath catches in your throat as you watch him lick his lips, his eyes still watching you intently.

“Kuro? What are you-?” Your voice is quickly muffled by the man above you, his lips devouring yours in a deep kiss. You hadn’t even gotten a chance to close your mouth before his tongue slipped inside and ravished your own. You moan at the foreign pleasure. You had never been kissed before and never even dreamed of being kissed this passionately. Kuro’s deep, sensual laughter made you shudder beneath him. He pulled back for a moment, bringing your wrists together to hold them in place with one hand, while sliding his freehand down your body until he reached your straining erection.

“K-Kuro!” You manage to choke the words out before his lips are on yours again, his hand slowly working your length. You couldn’t think. Couldn’t speak. All you could focus on was the fact that _Kuro_ was touching you and it felt so damn good, but you didn’t know why. It was true that you had noticed him. He was Shiro’s twin brother after all. While the man always kept his distance more often than not, he was friendly when he wanted to be and you felt like you were on good terms with each other, but _this_. This was unexpected.

"Fuck..." He said as he watched you trying to stifle your moans. You were trying so hard to be quiet that it was absolutely adorable to him. “Does it feel good, Kitten? Do you like it when I touch you like this?” He whispered the words in your ear as he quickened his pace. “You want me to get you off?” He purrs, licking your ear and biting it gently. “Want me to make you come?”

You shake in his hold, whimpering at his words--at his _touch_. You were losing your mind. You’d never felt like this before. Sure you’ve masturbated, but that never felt like _this_. This was so much better. The warmth of another pressed against you. Someone else’s hands touching you. No, not _someone_. You’d never let a stranger touch you this way. It was because they were _Kuro’s hands_. This revelation made your eyes quickly open to find his. 

He was still watching you. A soft smile on his face and that hungry look remaining in his eyes. His breath was hot and heavy, brushing against your skin, making goosebumps rise on your flesh. It felt good. Why did it feel so right when it wasn’t Shiro touching you? It wasn’t because they looked the same. Kuro’s eyes made it perfectly clear who he was. That beautiful amber shining in the dim light of the room, glimmering with a desire you couldn’t quite understand.

“Kitten.” He continued calling you by that affectionate nickname he’d given you months ago when the two of you had become closer, and it made you yearn for something you weren’t sure you wanted. You were confused, but you couldn’t deny the feelings swelling inside your heart. You loved this man. Loved him as much as you loved Shiro, but the thought of being with him like this hadn’t occurred to you until now.

“Kuro…” You were amazed by how weakly your voice called out his name, the sound broken with pleasure. Tears were forming in the corners of your eyes, burning from the sensations that washed over you. 

Kuro lets go of you and backs away. Uncontrollably, you whimper at the loss of his touch and he laughs at you fondly. “ _Patience_ , kitten,” he says with amusement. He wastes no time stripping off his clothes. You can’t help but watch the way he slips off his shirt and unzips his pants as your eyes trace along the scars that adorn his revealed flesh. Despite the pain it brought you to think of how he’d obtained them, they were beautiful accents to his body in the same way Shiro’s were.

Kuro bites his lip as he catches your line of sight, taking in the adoration he sees where he would normally expect to find disgust or pity at the sight of his imperfect flesh. But you weren’t most people were you? A wolfish grin spreads across his face as he devours you with his eyes, looking you up and down in return. “We should get you undressed as well.” You were too caught in a daze to even think of protesting as he pulled away your clothes, baring your body to him. “God, you’re beautiful,” he says in awe. “I can’t wait to mark you and make you mine.”

You gasp as Kuro lungs at you again, his body pinning yours to the bed. He pulls you firmly against him and bites down on your shoulder just enough to leave a mark, making you cry out in both pain and pleasure. “So fucking beautiful.” You feel his tongue lap over the sore flesh before it trails to your throat, teeth gently nipping at the skin there.

“Ahh…wait!” You try to slow him down, gripping his shoulders in a pitiful attempt to push him back. He doesn’t budge at all, his body far more powerful than your own. “Kuro! Please-” Kuro threads his fingers into your hair, pulling you in for another kiss, consuming your plea before you can finish it. This was all happening so fast it was making your head spin. You felt desperate for him to slow down, but you couldn’t help wanting more at the same time.

“What is it, Kitten?” He asks as he pulls away just enough for his lips to brush against yours. “Are you trying to say you don’t want this?” His gaze pierced your own, waiting for your response. 

He was holding himself back. It was evident in the way his pupils were dilated with lust and the tension in his muscles. Kuro was always like a wild beast when he wanted to do something. He’d never let anything hold him back before, but it was obvious he was taking great care with you. It made you feel as though he was afraid to break you. Kuro might seem cold at times, but he was actually very kind. The man was just prone to hiding his true feelings. That knowledge made your heart swell at how he was being this attentive with you.

“I…I don’t know.” You look away from him, ashamed at your own indecision. You didn’t know what you wanted-- _who_ you wanted. You had just been touching yourself to thoughts of Shiro only moments before. Now Kuro was the one touching you and you couldn’t bring yourself to fight him off. It sent you into a bout of inner turmoil.

As though he sensed your mental struggle with yourself, Kuro ground his own erection against yours, making you moan loudly before you could stop yourself. “Your body is more honest than you are,” he teased in a low, sensual tone. “Just lay back and let me take care of you. I promise you won’t regret it.”

Kuro’s words and touch held you in their embrace, coaxing you to give your body over to him. His lips and tongue gliding across your skin as his hips dug into yours. He wrapped a hand firmly around both your leaking cocks, using the slick precum to lubricate your shafts and starting up a rhythm to match his thrusts.

The room begins to fill with the sound of both your voices moaning and groaning in ecstasy, along with the lewd, wet sound of his hand and hips working you both to your climax. "Oh god,” you moan, clutching at his back desperately, feeling that knot inside you coiling further. You were going to come soon and it felt so good you wanted to scream.

Kuro huffs a laugh against your neck. “You like that? Like the feeling of my cock grinding against yours?” He bites down gently, leaving another red mark upon your flesh. Panting heavily against your ear, he could feel his own orgasm nearing. “Come for me,” he growls. “Come all over me, Kitten.”

As you moan his name Kuro picks up his pace. His mind was swimming with thoughts of how he would spread your legs apart as he fucks you. How broken you’d sound as his hips slammed against you. How tight you’d feel around him. He _craved_ it. To feel the sensation of being buried inside you, wrapped up in your warmth as you cried out his name.

When the climax finally hits you, your voice catches in your throat, gasping as you clutch his body tightly. Your hips jerk upwards against his, feeling that knot of pleasure burst within you. A rush of cum splashed over your bodies as you came in unison, Kuro’s hand milking you of every last drop. “Fuck, Kuro...” You mewled as he continued to work the both of you through your orgasms.

You go limp against the sheets, your entire body drained of energy as you try to catch your breath. Kuro eyes where the mixture of seed had coated your flesh and his own hand. You watch him with tired eyes as he licks it off his fingers and bends down to do the same to your body, dragging his warm tongue across your sensitive skin, causing you to moan at the feeling.

He grins down at you, maneuvering his hands to your ass and firmly grasping both cheeks. “I’m not done with you yet, Kitten,” he purrs. “I’m going to claim _every_ part of you.”

Gasping lightly at the feeling of his fingers rubbing at your entrance, you lock eyes with him, that hungry stare still present before he turns his attention to the matter at hand. Just as he moves down to lap at your hole, the door to your room slides open, and once again you find yourself in a state of shock. 

_Oh my fucking God, not again!_

As if your day hadn’t been crazy enough already, Shiro had just entered your room at the worst possible time. Frozen in shock with the door shutting behind him, he stood there in silence, mouth agape as he looked to you and his twin, naked on the bed in a compromising position. The smell of sweat and sex permeated the air of the room making a clear statement of what was occurring.

Your voice was caught in your throat. Eyes wide and fear taking over again. This was it. Shiro was going to be disgusted with you and never want to speak to you again. There was no hope for ever pursuing your feelings for him anymore. But did you even have a right to? After what you’d just done with Kuro? Tears were flowing from your eyes before you realized it. Not even noticing the way Kuro had turned his head toward his brother and smirked at him.

Seeing you cry snapped Shiro out of his stupor. “Kuro, what the hell is going on?” He glared at his brother in confusion and anger. You were crying and he didn’t know why. The first thing that came to his mind was that Kuro had possibly forced you into this and that really pissed him off. He knew about his brother’s feelings and the fact that he might lose control of himself, but the thought of him raping you had never crossed his mind until this very moment.

“You’ve got horrible timing, Shiro. Or maybe prefect timing,” he said with a wicked grin. “Now you can watch me _fuck him_.”

Without thinking, Shiro rushed toward Kuro and jerked him away from you, pulling him up by his hair and toward his own face. He glared down at his brother with unbridled rage. Shiro had never allowed anyone to see this side of himself before, but he couldn’t be concerned with that now. Not when he was trying to protect you. “What the hell did you do?!” He growled at his twin. “Why is he crying?”

Kuro smiled at his brother innocently. “I made him feel good,” he said calmly. “And he’s crying because of _you_. I mean, you did just walk in on us. Though I guess I walked in on him _touching himself to you_ first, so it’s only fair.” His smile stretched into that wicked grin again when his brother’s eyes widened as he registered those words.

Shiro’s attention darted back to you, a horrified look now on your face at Kuro’s confession. “You…” Shiro couldn’t finish his sentence. Didn’t know what to say. You had been touching yourself to him? It was like a wet dream come true, but he’d never admit it out loud. He had longed for you, but was afraid to touch you. Afraid to _hurt_ you. And here his brother was making a move on you before he could even gather the courage to. 

He let his grip on Kuro’s hair fall and the man relaxed back onto the bed as he watched Shiro’s every move. Slowly, Shiro moved toward you and wiped the tears from your eyes before pulling you into a gentle hug. “Why are you crying,” he asked softly in your ear.

You sniffled and tried to gather yourself to speak. “I…Do you hate me now?” You asked in a broken voice, burying your face into his shoulder. You really felt like it was over now. You couldn’t help it. This was never suppose to happen. He wasn’t suppose to know how you felt. If only you had remembered to lock the door when you’d first come in, then none of this would’ve happened.

“I could _never_ hate you. Why would you even think that?” Shiro rubbed at your back soothingly as he tried to calm you. His warmth enveloped you as Kuro’s had, only in a different way. The aura that flowed from Shiro was always calming and gentle. It made you relax into his touch as you willed away the pain in your heart.

“Because I’m a disgusting pervert who touched himself to thoughts of you.” And there was the guilt, flowing out of you without restraint. Your voice was shaking with each breath and you had to steady yourself before continuing. “Because Kuro and I…we…I don’t know what’s _wrong_ with me.” You squeezed your eyes shut tightly, waiting for him to chastise you for your actions. Why wouldn’t he? You yourself couldn’t even understand what you were feeling because you had never felt this way about anyone before. 

_Is it wrong to fall in love with more than one person?_

“Hey!” Instead of the voice you’d expected, it was Kuro’s that pulled you from your agony. He sat up and moved closer to the two of you, a stern look on his face. “You are _not_ a pervert, and there’s nothing _wrong with you_ ,” he stated firmly. “You can’t help it if you love us both.” He looks to his brother with a sly grin tugging at his lips. “And _we both_ can’t help _loving you_.”

“Kuro!” Shiro’s head whipped around to face his brother, appalled that he’d just been ousted by him. Kuro shrugged with a knowing smile and looked back at you fondly. Shiro followed his gaze only to be met by yours. Apparently you were just as shocked as he was by the outburst.

“You…you love me?” You looked up at him in disbelief as you rubbed away the remaining tears from your eyes. You couldn’t fathom how that was possible. Shiro had never dropped any hints about having such feelings for you. He was kind and loving towards _everyone_. Kuro however, now that you thought about it, had showed signs of possessiveness and affection that he hadn’t shown towards the other paladins, except his brother. Even the way he teased you was different from them. He would often touch you whereas he’d barely touched them. Suddenly everything started to make sense. 

_But when had Shiro-?_

Shiro sighed heavily. “Guess I can’t hide it anymore.” Shiro brushed a strand of hair from your face. His expression morphing into one of fondness and a kind of love you’ve never seen in his eyes before. “I’ve…had feelings for you for a long time now. I’ve just been afraid of getting involved with anyone after…” Shiro’s voice trailed off when his eyes shifted to his Galra made prosthetic. “After what happened to me. I was afraid I might hurt you without meaning to.” 

He brought his attention back to you and found understanding in your eyes. You’d been with him through it all after he’d escaped and returned to earth, helping him through his trauma the best you could. He was eternally grateful to you and happier than he’d ever been now that you were by his side once more. He didn’t want to risk destroying that if he lost control of himself.

Taking a deep breath, you close your eyes before opening them again to smile up at him. “You don’t have to be afraid, Takashi. You could never hurt me.” You caught the way he blushed at his given name before you wrapped your arms around his muscular frame and held him tightly. “I don’t break as easily as you think,” you said softly, smiling against his chest.

You feel the rumble of laughter in his chest as he holds you tightly in return. “Yeah…you’re right. I’m just a little insecure, I guess.” Shiro lays his cheek atop your head, nuzzling into your hair. Your slender figure wrapped in his arms always brought him a sense of comfort that nothing else could and he relished in the moment as his worries faded away. This was really happening, and it felt so good to finally express what he had been hiding all this time.

The bed shifts and another set of arms wrap around the two of you, pulling you both down into the bed. You and Shiro gasp at the sudden rush of movement but Kuro controls the fall, laughing at the both of you. “Now that that’s all settled, what do you say we get some sleep?”

You look at Shiro and Kuro before you smile and nod. “Good idea. I’m finally feeling tired now.” You yawn as the two of them encase you in their warmth. One in front of you, the other behind pulling up the blanket as the three of you squish yourselves together on the bed as comfortably as possible. Just when you’re about to succumb to sleep, you feel the gentle press of their lips against your forehead and hair, whispering the words _‘I love you’_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Constructive Comments and Kudos are always appreciated. 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed reading~


	2. Fears and Concerns

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since people seem to be enjoying this, I decided to upload the next chapter.  
> Plus I know Tsu would be sad if I didn't. xD

Breakfast the next morning had certainly proven itself to be extremely awkward. Sitting at the table surrounded by your friends, your mind was still reeling at the crazy events of last night. Waking up in the arms of both Shiro and Kuro had brought forward the reality of the situation. At the time you had been so happy to learn that Shiro actually loved you as much as you loved him. The surprise of Kuro’s confession and actions had thrown you for a loop, but that too was a welcome relief once you’d realized that you also had feelings for him. But what do you call something like this?

_Polyamory? Was that the right term?_

No. That word didn’t feel right. It wasn’t about having multiple partners. That’s not why you were accepting this relationship. It was because it was _Shiro and Kuro_. Your feelings for each other are so strong that they can’t be denied. It felt _right_. Being together always had, even before you and Kuro had become closer as friends. It was the very reason you were able to accept being in a relationship like this. If it was with anyone else but them, you’d never go through with it.

 _It’s just_ love. _Pure and simple. There are no other words to describe this._

That thought soothed your mind a bit, but it didn’t take away the unease about the events that would follow. A three-way romance was certainly something out of the norm. It wouldn’t be so easy for people to accept and this is what scared you the most. What would your friends say when they find out? Would they turn their backs on you in disgust, or would they congratulate the three of you and wish for nothing more than your happiness together?

You picked at the food on your plate. Hunk had prepared a breakfast almost reminiscent of the food on earth, but your appetite was wavering with the way your stomach kept twisting in knots from the stress. Avoiding eye contact, you listened to the mundane chatter of your friends while warring with yourself over whether or not you should even tell them about the three of you. Keeping quiet seemed like the best option right now.

_But what if they figure it out on their own?_

Something nudging you in the arm pulls you from your thoughts. It was Kuro, who was currently sitting next to you. When you turn your head to see what he wants, you find a hint of concern in his expression as he stares at you carefully. Before you could ask him what was wrong, he lightly jerked his head towards the other side of the table, prompting you to look. You were met with yet another look of concern, except this time it was Shiro. It made you wonder what the hell was up with them until the realization hit you. Your worries must have shown on your face even though you were trying to hide it.

_Shit._

Your eyes darted to your friends around the room. Thankfully none of them had noticed your inner turmoil except for Shiro and Kuro. They were all still engaged in lively conversation, with Keith just focusing on his meal and tuning everyone out. You sighed in relief and excused yourself from the room as subtly as possible to avoid suspicion. You couldn’t be around them right now. Not when the mask you had so carefully worn on your emotions was starting to slip like this. Worrying others was something you always tried to refrain from doing, and if they had asked you what was wrong you didn’t want to lie about it.

Even though you told them you were simply going to the bathroom, you never returned to the dinning hall. You felt bad about not finishing the breakfast Hunk had so lovingly made for everyone, but you just couldn’t eat right now. All you wanted to do was get away from them all and try to clear your mind. You needed time to process all of this and calm down, so you wandered the halls aimlessly, losing yourself in memories of the past. It was the time when you first met the twins and the unknown future that the three of you would share from that day onward.

 

 _On the day when I first arrived at the Garrison as a new transfer, the rain had been pouring down hard enough that it felt like someone had opened a flood gate. I found it odd weather for a desert climate, but stranger things have happened. It seemed hurricane Calypso had decided to take a turn towards land, bringing her unruly wind and rainstorms with her. A_ freak storm _indeed. Unfortunately for me, I hadn’t been prepared for the onslaught, arriving in Commander Iverson’s office looking like a drowned rat. What a fine first impression I must’ve made._

_It was there that I met Takashi Shirogane for the first time. A bright young star of the Galaxy Garrison that was said to be the best there was among it’s pilots. He was so well known at this point that even I had heard of him from the base I’d just transferred from. Needless to say, I felt a bit intimidated by his presence, but that smile of his was so welcoming that it melted the uncomfortable atmosphere, even if a bit of nervousness still remained. I was a rather shy person after all, especially around charming guys like him. Seriously, I felt so out of my league even being in the same room as the man, but he’d somehow always managed to make it feel right nonetheless. As if the two of us had known each other for a long time. He just had this way of making people feel comfortable around him._

_Shiro had been assigned to escort me around the facility and familiarize me with the ins and outs of everything that goes on there. I suppose you could say he was acting as a mentor seeing as we were both in the same field of work. I too was a pilot, though not as good as Shiro. I looked up to him and aimed to learn everything he could teach me as best as I could._

_Oddly enough, Shiro had a twin brother, whom I literally ran into a few days later while turning a corner too fast in the hallways leading towards my room. At first glace I had mistaken him for Shiro until he looked straight at me, revealing the color of his eyes. They were a beautiful shade of amber that captivated me for a moment before I snapped out of it and quickly apologized to him. I was taken off guard by that unique color I’d never seen before and the fact that he looked so identical to Shiro._

_Turned out that he was quite the opposite of his brother though. Cold, quiet and calculating. At least that’s what I thought upon first running into him. He just stood there, looking me over in silence. I was confused by his actions until he suddenly said, “You’d better be careful or you’ll get eaten alive out here.” Dumbfounded by his words, all I could do was watch as he casually walked away with a smirk on his face, leaving me there to process what he’d meant by that._

_Later on that day, I questioned Shiro about him and confirmed that they were indeed related, and that his name was Ryou. Shiro was the eldest of the two, born a few minutes before his brother. He had told me that Ryou usually kept his distance from others. That he didn’t trust them as easily as he did. He never elaborated on the subject any further than that. Probably because the subject himself had arrived during that conversation, plopping himself down in the chair next to Shiro in a routine manner to eat his dinner. He spared me a quick glance, a wry smile appearing on his lips before he turned his attention back to his food. It honestly perplexed me. I had no idea what he found so amusing or why he’d said those words to me before._

_When it was almost time for lights out though, I found out exactly what he had meant. A tall, muscular man called out to me from behind, startling me to the point that I literally jumped in place. I was in one of the lesser traveled corridors of the building, making my way back to the room when this man suddenly came out of nowhere. He was a little bit taller than Shiro and his brother. Green eyes, auburn hair, and a disturbing expression on his face that bordered along the edge of leering. Apparently his name was Charles, according to his overconfident self introduction._

_“So what’s a cutie like you doing transferring to a place like this,” he asked seductively. It made me shudder lightly, the bile rising into my throat. He was looming over me, inadvertently pinning me against the wall. Or had it been intentional? My brain was certainly screaming as much at the time. I couldn’t form words properly, flashbacks of similar situations happening at the barracks of my previous residence flooding my mind. This time though, there were no friends to help me out of this awkward situation and I was scrambling for words to turn him down gently without this situation becoming violent. It was then that the decision had been made for me._

_As if a savior had heard my silent prayers for help, someone suddenly snatched the guy away from me, slamming him into the opposite wall. What I had not expected to see however, was the back of Shirogane. He got in Charles’ face and growled a warning at him. “Never come near him again or you’ll regret it.” They were words I will never forget. His voice so deep and threatening it was like a predator giving prey one last chance to escape before it decided to just tear it apart. Charles ran away like a track star the minute he was let go, clearly scared shitless of him. I understood his fear, given the rumors I’ve heard of Ryou’s violent streak, but I never believed them at the time._

_When Shirogane turned around to face me, it confirmed exactly who I thought it was. My savior had been Ryou. The very last person I ever expected to come to my rescue. He walked over to me, just close enough to stand in front of me so I was left with room to breath. He was being oddly considerate given his disregard for the other man’s personal space only moments before._

_“…Are you alright?” The words were so soft I almost didn’t hear them. It made me look up into his eyes only to find an expression of genuine concern. Again I was perplexed by this man. At first he had seemed so cold and distant, but then he went and did something so chivalrous that it mirrored Takashi in personality._

_I thanked him softly and reassured him that I’d be fine. Still stunned by the whole event, I didn’t know what else to say and continued on my way to my room. The entire time I felt Ryou silently following me. He must have truly been worried that someone else was going to try the same thing and simply decided to shadow me. While I couldn’t understand his reasons, I was eternally grateful for the gesture. My heart had still been racing from before. The last thing I wanted was to be alone again in those hallways._

_The moment I had arrived at my room, I stopped in front of my doorway, looking to the side to see him standing a small distance away, staring at me quietly. I couldn’t help smiling at him. His presence started to feel a little more comforting than it had when I first met him. Almost like Shiro. The thought gave me an idea. “Goodnight, Kuro,” I said to him with a smile._

_Ryou tilted his head at me and raised an eyebrow._ “Kuro?” _He sounded as confused as I had felt earlier that day. It made me laugh a little. “Why the hell are you calling me that,” he asked curiously._

 _“Because if Takashi wants me to call him_ Shiro, _I want to give you a name too, and I feel like_ Kuro _suits you. If he’s the light that stands bright and proud in the face of adversity, then you’re the dark, a protector in the shadows that silently watches over everyone,” I said affectionately. “I don’t believe what everyone says about you.”_

_Kuro looked at me with wide eyes before he snorted a laugh and shook his head in amusement, meeting my smile with a genuine one of his own. “You really are different.” His words were gentle and content, as if he’d just met someone he could take a liking to. It made me happy to hear that sound in his voice. It was like a promise of a newfound friendship._

_That friendship with Ryou hadn’t taken off nearly as fast as Shiro though. While he did let me get away with calling him Kuro, he still remained rather distant. That distrust Shiro was talking about was making itself quite clear. Ryou was afraid to let people in. Possibly even afraid of getting hurt. It made me sad to think about it. Instead of letting him push me away, I held fast to my belief that one day he’d open up to me. It took time, but eventually he did start to let me in little by little. Sadly though, that bonding time didn’t go further until much later on in our friendship. The reason:_ Kerberos.

_Several months after getting to know the two, the Kerberos mission had finally been put into action. Shiro was going to be the pilot with Kuro acting as his co-pilot. They didn’t give me the exact details about why both of them were going, but I could guess. It had to be because of Shiro’s condition. I had overheard that Admiral Sanda was giving Samuel Holt shit about Shiro piloting the mission to begin with. Somehow Kuro had gotten involved in it. If anything went wrong, Kuro would be able to pilot them back home safely. This must be one of the reasons she allowed Shiro to stay on as the pilot._

_It was almost time for the launch to begin when I said my goodbyes to the two of them and wished them luck. Even though I believed in them and their abilities, I was so scared to lose them. That something would go wrong and I wouldn’t be there to help. It must’ve shown on my face when Shiro turned his back to me to get ready for the launch because Kuro moved in front of me, placing his hand on my head, ruffling my hair. I looked up at him briskly, feigning annoyance at the action and he grinned at me. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure he gets back home safely.”_

_When Kuro let go of me and turned around to head off after his brother, I grabbed him by the arm, causing him to stop in his tracks and look back at me. I looked straight into his eyes, trying to convey my feelings to him as best as I could. “You better make sure that_ you _come back too,” I said softly. Kuro just stared at me with a half smile and nodded._

_I couldn’t help the dread I felt in my heart as I watched them take off into the stars. My chest tightened at the thought of something actually going wrong and I wouldn’t be able to protect them. The fear was taking hold of me like a raging storm, but I did my best to calm it, praying that I was wrong, and wishing for their safe return._

_I was proven right months later when all contact was lost with the crew. According to the Garrison, the Kerberos mission had failed due to ‘pilot error.’ I didn’t believe a damn word of it. They had two of their best on that ship. There was no way in hell either of them crashed. They were hiding something and I was determined to find out the truth. I did some digging as discreetly as I possibly could. What I found though, was far worse than I had anticipated._

_The last known footage of the Kerberos mission had shown evidence of an abduction. An_ alien _abduction. I knew they existed. You’d have to be completely arrogant to think we’re the only living beings in existence, but_ this… _this had not been something I had hoped for as a first encounter with an unknown species, and it wasn’t even my own encounter. Shiro and Kuro, along with Matt and Sam Holt, were now at the mercy of some unknown race and all I could do was pray for their survival while trying to figure out a plan of my own._

_Quite some time had passed before fate had decided to take the reigns and generate a plan for me. An alien spacecraft crash landed on Earth, reuniting me with my lost friend, Shiro. He told me that Kuro and the Holts were still trapped somewhere in space, being held captive by a hostile race known as the Galra. It made my blood boil, a fire of determination burning brightly inside me as I declared to Shiro that I was coming with him whether he liked it or not. I wouldn’t take no for an answer._

_All the events that followed reunited us and now we’re stuck in this damn war trying to protect an entire universe. It was a lot for such a small crew to deal with. Five paladins in particular--six if you count Kuro--who had to form Voltron again and again, putting their lives on the line to stop the tyranny of the Galra empire. It’s all a lot to deal with, but in the end I don’t regret a second of it. We’re all together again and that’s what matters most._

 

By the time you woke up from your reverie, you found yourself back in your personal living quarters. You flop down onto the bed with a tired sigh, closing your eyes and laying the back of your hand on your forehead. The comfort of the mattress sent images of last night fluttering forward in rapid succession, your face flushing in response as you groaned at the memory. You were trying to relax, but apparently your mind had other ideas. Rolling onto your side, you curl up and try to think of anything else but these passionate memories and the worries that are threatening to eat you alive.

_Why does everything in life have to be so damn complicated?_

Just when you were about to bury your head beneath the pillow to shut out the world, you hear the hiss of your bedroom door sliding open and the sound of familiar boots walking slowly toward the bed. You don’t dare to look up or even turn around to face the man, content to keep your face partially buried in the pillow. The footsteps stop right beside you, and you hold your breath nervously. You knew it was one of the twins, but you weren’t sure which one right now. 

The mattress dips at the additional weight of the man seating himself along the edge. You hear a deep sigh, followed shortly by the touch of a warm hand brushing aside your hair gently. “Y’know, sometimes you’re not so good at hiding what you’re thinking,” he chided. “It’s kinda obvious when you leave your plate half full and never come back for it.”

_Kuro. Of course it was him. Shiro must be busy with the others._

“Shut up, Kuro. I know already,” you moaned into the pillow. “I don’t need you rubbing it in. I’ll just tell them my stomach is bothering me a bit.” It wasn’t a total lie. That unsettling knot that formed inside your belly was twisting tighter with each passing second. About your friends, about this relationship, about the universe and what the future held. You were in the middle of an intergalactic war for crying out loud! How the hell could you _not_ be stressed out right now? It was in your nature to worry, but adding on the possibility of losing your friends in more ways than one was not helping the matter.

You felt him flick the back of your head and turned around to smack him, only to have him grab you by the wrist and pull you up into his arms. “Feisty little thing, aren’t you?” Kuro says amusedly, holding you loosely so he can look at you. You pout while looking away, and he can’t help grinning at the sight. “You’re adorable, you know that?”

Glaring at him you smack his chest. “Now’s not the time, Kuro. I’m frustrated and trying to relax,” you huff irritably. “Did you need something or are you just bored?” You scrutinize him as his expression changes into something unreadable, wondering why he was here if all he was going to do was mess with you.

“What I _need_ is to know what the hell has you so antsy right now.” His tone was so serious it made it impossible to look away from him. Kuro was never this serious about anything unless it was something that caused him a great deal of concern. “You darted out of the bed this morning when you woke up. You barely ate your food--which is totally abnormal for you. You were so damn quiet, more than usual, that you have both me and Shiro worried.”

This time Kuro’s expression shifted into something you rarely ever saw in the man as he slowly brushed your bangs away from your eyes. It was sadness, genuine and pure, along with something else that seemed like pain. It made your heart clench tightly in your chest, the threat of tears burning in your eyes. You never liked seeing either of them like this and wanted nothing more than to make it go away. “Kuro…”

He sighs again, looking deep into your eyes. “If it’s because of what I did yesterday… _just tell me_ ,” he said sincerely. “I didn’t mean to…to just jump on you like that and be so _forceful_. I was losing my fucking mind seeing you in that state and I couldn’t stop myself! I wasn’t thinking…” 

You could hear the remorse in his voice over his own actions and wondered if Shiro and Kuro had discussed last night with each other after you’d abruptly left the room upon getting dressed. But that wasn’t important right now. You needed to correct him before he misunderstood the reason why you were so distraught. “That’s not it. I’m just worried,” you said quietly.

“About what?” He asked softly, gently rubbing your back in soothing circles, just as Shiro had the night before.

“About the others. About what they’ll _think_. About whether or not this will even work out. About--” You were silenced by the press of Kuro’s index finger against your lips. There was a beautiful, amused smile on his face where there had been a sad frown only moments ago.

“You worry too damn much,” he says with a soft laugh. “Honestly, what are we going to do with you?” Pulling you into a tight embrace, he presses a kiss to your forehead before letting you go and removing himself from the bed. His eyes stare down at you lovingly in silence, as if he were contemplating something.

Before you could even ask what was on his mind, he suddenly grabbed you by the waist, throwing you over his shoulder. “K-Kuro?! What the hell are you doing?!” You shout at him in bewilderment from the sudden shift in attitude, trying your best not to flail in his grasp for fear that he might drop you.

“I’m kidnapping you, princess,” he says with a sly smile. You scoff at the nickname, making him chuckle as he carries you towards the door. “You’ve had _way too much_ time to think, so I’m going to take your mind off things.” Patting your lower back to reassure you, he sets off out the door.

Grumbling, you look around for a plan of escape. If his idea of ‘taking your mind off things’ was _sparring_ , you were in no mood for it. Normally you’d enjoy training with him and Shiro, but today you weren’t really feeling up to it. You were still trying to settle into the new level of intimacy the three of you shared and if the others caught you blushing or acting strangely around them, it wasn’t going to end well. You were thoroughly convinced of that.

You struggle in his arms, trying your best to make him lose his grip enough to drop you down on your feet, but he just holds on to you tighter. Letting out a frustrated growl, you smack him on his back. “Where the hell are you taking me anyway?”

Kuro laughs softly and smacks your ass for misbehaving, making you squeak at the sudden contact. “It’s a _surprise_ , okay? I don’t want to ruin it before we get there.” He continues his way down the hall, completely ignoring your protests and pleas to be allowed to at least walk on your own.

_Goddammit. Whenever he gets a thought in his head he doesn’t listen to me._

The blood rushing to your head as you continued to hang over his shoulder made you desperate for freedom. Just as you were about to punch him in his spine, Pidge entered the hallway from the lounge and noticed the two of you, giving you the perfect opportunity to cry out for help. After all, this wasn’t the first time Kuro has done something like this to you, so it wouldn’t make them suspicious about anything. “Pidge! Help me, I’m being kidnapped!” You plead with her in frustration. If you were lucky, she had her bayard with her to taze his ass, forcing him to let you down.

Pidge giggles at your plight and waves at you. “Have fun you two,” she says playfully as she walks off with an amused smile on her face. She was tinkering with a new gadget she’d created, totally unconcerned about what was going on.

“Katie! You traitor!” You shout the words at her loud and angry, pointing in her direction only to hear her laughter echo through the corridor, mocking you and your desperation. You sag in Kuro’s arms, a feeling of defeat weighing you down. It seemed like no one was going to come help you. Shaking your head to renew your resolve, you attempt to be more forceful with Kuro, smacking him as best as you can in the back of the head. “Dammit Kuro, put me down!”

Kuro swears, rubbing at where he was struck. “Not a chance. A feisty kitten like you will just run away the minute your feet hit the floor,” he teases. “I’m not about to let you go now that I’ve got you right where I want you.” His voice was so dark and sultry with that last sentence that it made your face flush.

_Really, what the hell is he thinking?_

Swallowing hard at the thought of Kuro’s intentions and what this _‘surprise’_ was, you renewed your efforts to escape. There was one person among the young paladins that you knew wouldn’t blow you off if you asked him for help, even in a situation as lame as this. You only hoped that he could hear you. Cupping your hands together in front of your mouth to amplify the sound, you shout as loudly as you possibly can. “ _LANCE!_ I NEED TO BORROW YOUR GU-!” You shrieked at Kuro pinching your ass, cutting off your request for a weapon to attack him with. “What the hell, Kuro?! Don’t do that!”

“Then stop yelling down the damn hall,” he grimaced. That last shout made his ears ring. He could only blame himself for having you in such close proximity to his head, but he wasn’t about to free you. “No one’s going to save you, Princess.” You groan at him and he laughs while patting your butt to reaffirm his statement.

_Great. From cat to damsel in distress._

“You’re an ass, Kuro,” you huff in displeasure. Left with no choice but to resign yourself to this fate, you decided to make extra sure you felt like dead weight bearing down on him just to get back at him.

“Thank you. And speaking of _ass_ , I’ve got a fine one right here in my face. Don’t tempt me,” he says jokingly. He hears you sigh tiredly and takes that as a sign of acknowledgement, continuing his way down the hall and towards your unknown destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was kinda long so I decided to break it into two parts. Next chapter continues from this one.
> 
> Constructive Comments and Kudos are always appreciated.  
> Thank you for reading~


	3. Save a Lion, Ride a Paladin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kuro: *snorts at the title*  
> Shiro: *raises an eyebrow in amusement*  
> Me: "What? I couldn't help myself." *shrugs while trying not to laugh*
> 
> I literally wrote a parody of that 'Save a horse, ride a cowboy' song for Voltron before, and I had that song stuck in my head when I was reading over my chapter to edit it. Hence the title. x'D
> 
> Enjoy~

The moment you entered the room, you immediately recognized where you were. It was the hangar of the black lion. This truly was a surprise. Kuro set you down in front of the majestic beast and all you could do was stare at Kuro in awe. Was this what he meant? To take you on a joyride in the black lion, whisking you away to the depths of space to escape your woes for awhile? You had to admit that you didn’t see this coming. You were speechless at the gesture.

Kuro grins at you, patting your shoulder lightly. “So what do you say? Wanna take a ride with the black paladin?” He was beaming at you in anticipation of your answer. How could you say no to spending time in the lion you loved so much? It was the perfect plan, if he did say so himself.

You were shocked by his question and the apparent accuracy of your guess. Was his intention really the same as what you were thinking? You were impressed that Kuro would come up with such an idea because he normally didn’t do things like this. “Kuro, are you sure it’s okay? What if the Galra attack?”

Shaking his head, he reassures you that all will be fine and grabs your hand to lead you towards the lion. You don’t think to question it. Kuro wouldn’t put the others in danger for selfish reasons. It was one of the things both he and Shiro shared in their personalities. That must’ve meant that he hadn’t planned to go very far from the ship. 

The black lion lowers it’s head and opens up it’s mouth to allow you inside. Letting Kuro lead you by the hand, you quietly follow him while wondering where exactly he plans to take you. When the mouth of the lion closes behind you however, your thoughts are abruptly cut off as Kuro pushes you against the wall, kissing you passionately. Unable to do anything but try to push him back to question him, you shove him away as hard as you can, gaining a small fragment of space as his lips hover over yours. “What the hell was _that_ , Kuro? I thought you asked me if I wanted to ‘ _take a ride_ with the black paladin’? You didn’t say anything about _this_!”

“Did I? Huh. I could’ve sworn I said ‘wanna take a ride _on_ the black paladin’,” he says with a smirk, trapping you against the wall between his arms.

_He’s lying through his teeth!_

You’re about to smack him in the face for his lie, but something about those words playing over in your head stopped you mid-swing. Kuro looms over you with a knowing grin, watching the cogs turn in your head as you processed the information.

_Wait…Did he just say ‘take a ride_ on _the black paladin’? Does he mean--oh god!_

Feeling like your whole body is blushing, you turn away from him in embarrassment. Your heart was racing fast, butterflies flitting in your belly, replacing the knot that was still residing there only moments ago. 

_Is he serious? He wants to do_ that _in the lion? Inside a_ sentient machine?

The notion felt like exhibitionism, but Kuro didn’t even give you a chance to consider more before opening the door to the cockpit and gently pushing you in.

You came to an abrupt halt at yet another surprise that had been waiting for you inside. Shiro was standing next to the pilot’s seat, arms crossed with an amused, yet questioning smile on his face.

“Kuro,” Shiro addressed his brother, turning his attention onto him. “When you said you wanted to meet me in the black lion, I wasn’t expecting to see you with _him_. What’s this about?”

Kuro smiled mischievously at his twin. “I think you already know,” he purred. He wraps his arm around your shoulders and walks you forward with him. “Our boy here has been thinking too much again. He needs us to help him _relax_.” Kuro’s smile grew broader when his brother’s eyes widened a bit at his insinuation.

Shiro’s attitude changed from amused to serious and concerned as if someone had flipped a switch. He moved toward the two of you and looked at his brother sternly before looking to you with worry. “If you’re not okay with this, you don’t have to do this,” he said carefully. “We’re not going to force you or rush things. Right Kuro?” He narrowed his eyes at his brother who simply snorted at him and looked away, letting his arm drop from your shoulders.

“ _Relax_ , I’m not going to repeat what I did last night.” He glared at Shiro with irritation at the accusation in his words. He wasn’t an idiot. He knew he fucked up, but he didn’t regret it because it led to everything finally coming out. Everyone’s feelings were known now and he wanted nothing more than to wrap you up in an endless love, giving you every part of him. He knew his brother felt the same, but he was being too damn careful about it.

Reaching your hands up to touch them both on the chest gently, you turn their attention towards you. “Don’t fight. It’s not that I don’t want this. I’m just…surprised? I honestly was _not_ expecting something like this to happen today.” You take a breath and reach your hands up to Shiro’s face, cupping his cheeks gently. Staring into his eyes, you couldn’t help noticing that there was a hint of fear in them. His words from last night played over in your head.

_‘I’ve just been afraid of getting involved with anyone after what happened to me. I was afraid I might hurt you without meaning to.’_

You didn’t want him to be afraid to be intimate with you. It hurt you to think he might run away from his own feelings just to protect you. Those thoughts alone gave you the courage to take the next step. You rub your thumbs over his cheeks gently, smiling warmly at him. “This feels a little awkward doing something like this here, but…I _want_ this. I want _you_ , and I’m not running away.” Pulling Shiro down to your lips you end your sentence with a soft, loving kiss. It was your attempt to show him just how sincere you were.

Shiro gasped against your lips before he pulled you tighter against him, threading his fingers through your hair and deepening the kiss. It was intoxicating to him, something he’d longed for in all his time of knowing you. The taste of your lips made Shiro understand exactly why Kuro couldn’t stop himself last night. He didn’t want to stop himself either, but he pulled away reluctantly, giving you a chance to breathe. “ _I love you_ ,” he whispers, placing his forehead against yours.

You smile at him lovingly. You couldn’t have asked for better friends--better _lovers_. They were always so concerned about you. Always thinking of you and doing their best to keep you safe, even in this. Even last night, Kuro could’ve taken you by force if he wanted to, but he didn’t. He gave you a choice and you took his offer. Neither of them would ever hurt you. It made you feel safe and loved more than you’d ever felt in your entire life. You could entrust yourself to them. There was no need to be afraid, even if you were a bit nervous because you had no experience in sexual matters.

Kuro moved up behind you and wrapped his arms around you, placing your back firmly against his chest, and pressing your front hard against Shiro’s. You were sandwiched between their muscular frames, surrounded by their warmth and love. His lips were at your neck, kissing the flesh more gently than you’d felt from him before. It was tender and full of his feelings. A far cry from the unbridled desire he’d displayed the night before. It made a chill run down your spine. Kuro was baring his heart to you, just as Shiro was.

“Shiro,” Kuro called out to his brother, meeting his twin’s hooded eyes. “Sit down.” Shiro stared at him for a moment, understanding what he meant, but not sure if he should. Kuro nodded at him, reassuring him that it would be alright, and with one last look at you, he backed away and walked over to the pilot’s seat. Kuro gripped your shoulders and leaned down to your ear. “C’mon, Kitten,” he coaxed you seductively, leading you in front of Shiro who was now reclined and waiting.

Shiro watches Kuro run his hands along your body, left hand lifting up your shirt to play with a nipple, while his right hand reached down your abdomen, slipping into your pants and underwear, grasping at your growing erection. Shiro swallows hard at the provocative sight, clutching at the seat to keep himself from moving. The way you moaned at Kuro’s touch was exciting him in ways he’d never felt before. It was for the second time in the past few minutes that he’d realized the reasons for his brother losing control of himself. Shiro was on the verge of breaking too from the sound of your voice and the way your body writhed in Kuro’s hold.

Kuro looks at his brother with a wry smile. “Shiro,” he whispers, “Don’t look away.” Shiro is so breathless he’s unable to respond with words, nodding at him to get his answer across. Kuro nuzzles against your neck, while still watching his brother. He strokes you several times, torturously slow, before dragging his left hand up your body until his fingers reach your lips, and gently presses them inside. You suck on them instinctively, rousing a sensual hum from Kuro. “You’re being such a good boy for us, Kitten,” he purrs against your ear, nipping at it gently. “We should give you a _reward_.” Kuro withdraws his hand from your pants, reaching out to brush his fingers along the blush of his brother’s cheek. “ _Touch him_ , Shiro.”

Shiro wastes no time complying, reaching out to palm against your erection through your clothes. When you mewl at his touch, it sends Shiro into a frenzy, surging forward to undo your pants and drop them to the floor, allowing him free access to your throbbing manhood. Shiro licks his lips at what he sees, eyes growing darker with the desire to hear more of the sounds you could make. He leans forward and drags his tongue along the underside of your shaft, tracing a line from base to tip, and relishing in the deep moan that escapes your lips.

Kuro follows his brother’s actions with a satisfied smile, dropping down to his knees in preparation for what was to come. He grips your cheeks firmly and pulls them apart, baring your entrance to him. Without warning, he presses his tongue against your hole and smirks at the loud yelp you make at the contact. This was something he’d wanted to do to you last night before Shiro had interrupted, but now nothing was going to stop him. He pushes his way inside, enjoying the taste that greets him. After a few moments of self-indulgence, he attempts to slip his fingers into your warm, silken walls alongside his tongue, stretching you out carefully.

You felt like you were going crazy with Shiro sucking on your length, and Kuro eating you out so thoroughly. Mind spinning from the barrage of new sensations, your entire body was shaking, legs threatening to buckle under the intensity of the pleasure you were receiving. The sheer feeling of it was beyond anything you could have ever expected or even dreamed of. Clutching desperately at Shiro’s hair, you tried your best to will yourself to remain standing, but it proved to be for naught.

When you lose control of your legs, Shiro quickly catches you, removing his mouth from you to pull you into his lap. He runs his fingers through your hair, kissing gently at the corners of your mouth before slipping his tongue past your lips to taste more of that sweet nectar he craved.

You could taste yourself on him. The bitter flavor mixing with your saliva. It didn’t lessen the kiss. If anything, it only enhanced it along with your arousal, making you press your body against his even closer.

Shiro groaned when your hips ground against his own, rubbing against his clothed, aching erection. His control on himself was starting to fade away, and at this very moment he wanted to bury himself inside you and show you just how much pent up love he’d been holding within himself for you. Being the responsible adult he was though, he couldn’t just allow himself that. He looked into his brother’s eyes, searching for some sign that it was okay to move forward with this, that his brother had been prepared enough to think of making this as painless as possible for you.

Not one to disappoint in times like this, Kuro smiled at Shiro before standing up and pulling out a bottle from his pocket. He watched his brother hold you close while giving a small smile in return, shaking his head fondly. They always did think alike when it came to matters of the heart. It was the reason they were both willing to give you up to the other when they’d confided in each other about their feelings for you. In the end though, they realized that it just wasn’t possible. They both loved you and each other too much for it not to hurt anyone involved. You had absolutely no idea how happy they were that you had feelings for them both, but they were going to show you, and they were going to love you without the constraints of society holding them back. From the very beginning of their lives they were a package deal, so it was only fair that they were allowed to love and be loved by the same person.

Shiro unzips his pants to free himself from the uncomfortable feeling of his hard-on pressing against the tight fabric. As soon as he pulled it free his twin didn’t miss a beat, pouring the cold lube over his throbbing cock, sending a shiver down his spine. He watched his brother step back behind the chair to lean on the back of it, clearly enjoying the view and waiting in anticipation of the next move. 

Shiro works the lube all around himself, whispering encouragements to you as he felt you tense up in his hold. You were scared and he couldn’t blame you. It was your first time and from experience, he knew it was going to hurt in the beginning. “Don’t worry, we’ll take it nice and slow until you’re comfortable,” he assures you, pressing a kiss to your cheek before gripping your hips tightly to lift you up over him.

“I trust you, Shiro.” You look down at him with watery eyes, still trembling from the pleasure you’d been receiving up to this point. If that had been any indication of just how experienced these two were, you were certain he knew what he was doing with this as well. You were in good hands and Shiro would never lie to you about something like this. You take a deep breath, feeling the tip of his cock touching your entrance. He looked at you one last time for confirmation and you nodded with a smile. You wanted this. Wanted to become one with them. There was no turning back now.

Shiro pushed himself inside you slowly, holding his breath at just how tight you were even though you had been prepped by Kuro. As he continued to carefully guide you down his length you winced and he immediately stopped your descent, watching your face carefully. “Are you okay?”

“Y-yeah. You’re just…so _big_ ,” you say breathlessly as you watch the blush on Shiro’s face grow brighter. The burning sensation inside you from the stretch was unimaginable. You knew he was huge just by seeing it, but actually taking it in made it feel so much bigger than it looked. The girth of it was overwhelming and painful, but you knew it would get better once you adjusted. You trusted him not to hurt you and you didn’t want him to stop before even starting. “Please, keep going,” you begged.

He nodded and carefully lowered you even further onto him, watching the way you bite your lip to stifle your voice and bear the pain. When Shiro bottoms out, he lets out a throaty moan at the feeling of your inner walls clenching him tightly in your warmth. You dropped your head onto his shoulder while gasping for breath, and he immediately wrapped his arms around you, petting your hair and whispering sweet words in your ear to ease your discomfort.

Kuro had to hold back his urge to join in and ease your pain. He didn’t want to interrupt this moment between you and Shiro. He wanted his brother to be able to enjoy being with you without any interference, just as he had the other night. This moment was about Shiro getting to express his feelings for you and enjoy you fully before he could allow himself to do the same. He had to remind himself of that repeatedly as he watched the both of you.

You moan quietly as Shiro kisses your shoulder and neck gently. The feeling of his soft lips and warm tongue running over your skin making you shiver and melt into his arms. The pain inside you slowly shifted to pleasure with each passing moment. You moved yourself experimentally on him, an involuntary, almost slutty moan escaping your lips when his cock hit a place inside you that felt unbelievably amazing. You barely registered that it was your prostate he’d just hit. The feeling of it and the embarrassment of the sound you’d just made was distracting you so much you could barely even think straight.

Shiro calls your name softly--longingly, cupping your cheek and turning your attention back on him. He stares deeply into your eyes before the dam inside him suddenly breaks again with a passionate, rough kiss. It was almost like the hungry kisses Kuro had given you the night before. This was Shiro finally letting go. He was showing you a side of him you had never seen before. Needy, desperate, rough, and unrestrained. A kind of lustful passion you never knew existed in the man, but had always fantasized about.

Despite all this, the man still displayed some control over himself when he asked, “Is it okay to move now?”

You couldn’t help smiling at those words when you nodded at him. He was always one to place others before himself. Even in his current desperation he would sacrifice his own needs for you. It made that feeling of wanting to give him anything and everything even stronger. Pressing your lips to his with all the love you felt for him, you move on him again, eliciting another moan to escape his throat. You pull back ever so slightly, your breath mingling with his as you whisper the words, “Yes, Takashi. _I need you_.”

He was so far gone at this point that he didn’t need anymore encouragement than that. He gripped your hips again, starting up a slow, steady rhythm to ensure you remained comfortable enough to enjoy this. God knows he wanted to let go. To just unleash all this pent up energy and love, and show you just how good you make him feel, but he couldn’t allow himself that. Not yet. He refused to accidentally hurt you.

That steady rhythm didn’t last long though. Not with the way you began meeting his thrusts on your own. The desperate need for release driving your movements to ride him just as Kuro had suggested earlier. With each hastened thrust your voices became louder, panting and moaning, begging for more of the pleasure he was filling you with. His powerful legs jostled you in his lap, angling himself just right to keep driving his length into the very place that had you seeing stars. It was utter bliss and you almost didn’t want it to end, but at the same time you needed it to. You wanted so badly to feel him come inside you. The thought made your face flush even redder than it already was.

At some point you lost the filter that normally kept you from saying filthy things out loud. You begged him to fuck you harder, to fill you up completely with his seed, all the while praising his size and his strength. It sent Shiro over the edge, driving his thick cock into you fast and hard before he burst, moaning your name loudly as he came within you, just as you had wished for. The sensation and slick warmth of his cum rushing into you triggered your own orgasm, breath catching in a voiceless cry while you clung to him tightly.

When you came down from your high, gasping for breath and slumping into his arms, you felt the weight of exhaustion pulling you down. You heard him saying your name softly in your ear as he held you, but you weren’t able to keep yourself conscious anymore, succumbing to the need for sleep that consumed your whole being.

Kuro takes you from Shiro’s arms and cradles you in his own, sitting on the floor next to him and admiring your content sleep while Shiro catches his breath. He brushes his fingers across your cheek tenderly with a soft smile on his face. “Never thought I’d hear him say dirty shit like that. Such a naughty little kitten,” he says fondly.

Shiro looks to his brother carefully. He was fairly certain that Kuro hadn’t planned for this to stop so soon and worried that he might be a bit disappointed by the outcome because he had gotten carried away. He looked further down his brother’s body and confirmed the erection that was clearly straining in his pants. “Kuro…I. If you need me to-”

“I’m fine, Takashi. Today was about you two getting some time together. You were the first one to fall in love with him after all. My bad for being the first one to touch him.” He said sincerely. “Besides, he just lost his virginity to _that_ ,” Kuro says as he points to his brother’s still exposed genitals. The blush on Shiro’s face returns and he quickly tucks himself back inside his pants while Kuro smirks at him. Shiro always was a bit shy when it came to these things. He looks back down to you, resting peacefully in his arms. “I’m not about to push our boy past his limits when he’s already this exhausted from one go.” 

_I don’t want to break him._

The words were unsaid, but Shiro still understood. He watches his brother stroke your hair with his free hand, smiling proudly at him for his selflessness. Usually, when Kuro wanted something bad enough, he wouldn’t hesitate to go after it, but he’d been different with you. He was more considerate and reserved about it, even though he did tease you often. Shiro always wondered when the day would come that he would snap from holding back so long, but he can’t complain about the results of it happening. If it wasn’t for his brother, he didn’t think he’d ever have made it this far with you anytime soon.

“ _Ryou…_ ” Shiro slid from his seat and knelt down to his brother, kissing him tenderly on the lips with all the feelings he had swirling around inside him. He touched their foreheads together lightly, catching his breath before finishing the words he needed to say. “ _Thank you_ , for giving me the chance to be with him like this. For pushing me forward.”

Kuro hummed his acknowledgement as if to say “You’re welcome.” The moment they parted to look at each other in the eyes, the sound of Allura’s voice came blaring over the loud speakers calling for all of the paladins to come to the bridge for an emergency.

Shiro sighs. “Never a dull moment, is there?”

His brother chuckles at him and pushes him away gently. “ _Go_. I’ll take care of him and clean up the mess.” Shiro looks reluctant to leave, but nods and gathers himself before rushing off to find out what’s going on.

Kuro watches him as he leaves, wondering what this so-called ‘emergency’ was. Lately Zarkon has been giving them hell, chasing them down to every part of the universe they’ve warped to. Kuro cringed at the memory. Things had been rather intense lately and they were finally getting a moment to breathe. If it was going to start up again so soon, he was going to be pissed.

He sighed and got to work cleaning up the mess his brother left behind and redressing you. “Sorry about the mess, Black,” he says to the lion. “Hope you don’t mind us doing this here.” The lion purrs, sending images into his mind of it’s support for their relationship. Kuro smiles to himself at the visions. It felt nice to know that the black lion wanted them to be happy. “Thanks, Black. That means a lot to me, buddy.” He pats the wall of the lion’s cockpit to show it how much he means those words before returning to your side. He picks you up into his arms, carrying you out of the lion like a newlywed bride as you slept peacefully in his arms.


	4. The Strength of Bonds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I wanted to have this up sooner, but I'm still very ill and not getting any sleep, so I haven't had the energy to do much of anything. =_=; I forced myself to work on it today so I could upload it. Hopefully I didn't miss any mistakes.
> 
> Enjoy~ And thank you for all the love and support. ;3

An emergency meeting was called the moment Allura’s eyes fell upon the sight of a familiar spacecraft approaching the Castle of Lions. The vessel belonged to the Blade of Marmora, a rebel group of galra that the paladins have been collaborating with to mount an attack on Zarkon’s main fleet. They arrived baring the bad news that they had lost all contact with their agent who had been stationed aboard Zarkon’s ship. They wanted the team to abort the mission. To abandon everything they’d worked so hard for out of fear of failure, but the paladins of Voltron and princess Allura refused to give up. This was their only chance to take down Zarkon once and for all. There was no guarantee they’d ever get another opportunity like this. The vote was unanimous among them and they set out to prepare themselves for the intense battle that would soon be underway.

You couldn’t help the worries that crept into your heart and mind as you walked with Shiro and Kuro to the hanger of the black lion. It was like the Kerberos mission all over again. You were to be left behind once more while they went off risking their lives and you felt you had no say in the matter. 

_How could I say anything when the entire universe is depending on them?_

You couldn’t tell them not to go and you couldn’t beg them to take you with them. You would only get in their way on this mission. There was no place for you in this fight except here on the ship, providing as much support as you possibly could while they fought on the frontlines in what you all hoped would be the final battle with Zarkon.

Now standing in front of the black lion, just about to board it, Shiro and Kuro bid you an all too familiar farewell. “Hold down the fort for us while we’re away,” Kuro said as he winked at you. 

“We’ll be back before you know it.” Shiro said with a smile.

You looked pointedly at Kuro with a sly smile, trying to lighten the ominous mood that hung around you from that unsettling feeling in your gut. “Just come back in one piece, okay? I don’t need either of you disappearing on me again, and you wouldn’t want your reputation to fall even farther, would you?”

Kuro smirked at your request, your words reminding him of fond moments from the past. “Did you forget who I am already, kitten? I’m _Batman_.” He said jokingly with a wide grin.

You burst into laughter at his words and Shiro shakes his head with a slightly aggravated sigh. “Are you two _ever_ going to tell me what that’s about?” He said annoyed. He hated being the guy on the outside of what was apparently an inside joke. Especially when it included his brother. It made him feel like the most clueless man in existence because he knew his brother _very_ well, yet he didn’t understand this at all.

Kuro snorted and turned to look at his brother. “ _Never_. For once in my life, Takashi, I know something you don’t and I plan to keep it that way for as long as possible.” He laughed at his brother who grumbled at his words, and Shiro looked to you pleadingly for an answers. Kuro immediately captured your attention before Shiro’s puppy dog eyes could work their magic on you. “And if you tell him, I swear I will _punish_ you so badly you won’t be able to walk for a week,” he threatened with a firm stare.

Your face flushed at the way he emphasized the word ‘punish’, understanding exactly what he was thinking. With Kuro it could only be one thing when it came to you, and you weren’t sure you were ready to explore that side of him yet. You looked back at Shiro regretfully. You didn’t like the thought of leaving him out of something when he seemed so desperate to know, but you didn’t want to risk Kuro’s wrath. “I’m sorry, Shiro.”

Shiro threw his hands up into the air dramatically. “ _Fine_. Don’t tell me.” He pouted for a moment before smiling at you again, unwilling to let something like this phase him. “I’m sure you’ll crack under the pressure eventually. I have my ways,” he says seductively.

Blushing again at his words, you look away. How much did these two intend to play with your heart like this? 

Not even realizing he’d moved closer, you felt Shiro’s arms wrap around you, hugging you tightly. “We’ll be fine, don’t worry. I have full confidence in this team. I know we can pull it off.”

Kuro followed suit and wrapped his arms around the both of you. “You just stay here and help Allura and Coran support us the best you can, okay?” 

You sighed in their embrace and hugged them back not wanting to let go, but knowing you had to. “Alright. Just be safe.” You felt them both nod against you, kissing your head gently before letting you go.

Watching them board the black lion, you found yourself praying again for their safety, just as you had the day they left Earth for Kerberos. Every fiber of your being wished that this time things would actually go as planned and that they would return to your arms unharmed.

Breathing deeply to center yourself, you held your head high and got to work, returning to the bridge of the ship to watch over the fight and support the team in any way you could from the castle ship. There was no room for mistakes and you couldn’t allow yourself to be distracted by your fears. If they were to return safely, you needed to be alert at all times and do your part to end this war.

* * *

This mission hadn’t gone exactly as planned and things were becoming more intense by the second. Even though Keith had managed to help take down Zarkon’s defenses by installing the virus into his ship with the help of a Marmora agent, and Allura successfully transported that ship through the teledove, things started to go horribly wrong once they reached the other side of the wormhole. They hadn’t anticipated the fact that the druids had another weapon up their sleeve, striking Voltron with a burst of energy that violently drained it of quintessence, leaving them dead in the water, or _space_ in this case, for a few unsettling moments.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Zarkon had emerged from his ship in a large combat mech of his own that resembled his image. It was roughly the same size as Voltron and seemed to be just as powerful. Had it not been for Allura’s intervention in Zarkon’s pursuit of their immobile lions, Kuro was sure they would all have died in that moment. It didn’t come without a great cost however, as the castle ship’s attack was reflected right back at it.

When Shiro and Kuro heard your scream over their comms alongside Allura’s, both their hearts stopped in their chests, tears threatening their eyes. They thought they had lost you, and it took everything they had to focus on the mission and not let that sacrifice be in vein. Shiro, ever the guiding light that held them all together, renewed the team’s resolve to end this war, and with that resolve their lions roared back to life and Voltron returned to the fight to end Zarkon once and for all. It was all they lived for in this moment.

The battle was brutal and intense, Zarkon’s mech proving to be on equal footing with Voltron itself as the druids continued their assault against them. The weapon he wielded even had the power to force Voltron apart, and it left the paladins feeling desperate for a solution. They couldn’t give up this fight no matter what, and they were so focused on it that they hadn’t realized their friends aboard the castle ship were still alive. It was then that the power of Shiro’s lion awakened and he retrieved his bayard from Zarkon, unlocking a new ability as they reformed Voltron.

When the castle ship sprang back to life, the paladins all sighed in relief at the sound of their friends’ voices, lifting their spirits as they tried to push back Zarkon and end this fight. With one final attack they pierced Zarkon’s armor with Voltron’s sword, effectively destroying it, but not before Zarkon made one last move of his own. Gripping the head of Voltron, he assaulted the black lion with a burst of dark, electrical energy in an attempt to force them apart again. Zarkon’s armor exploded and the lions once again broke apart, floating lifelessly in space.

Kuro gripped his head in pain, getting up off the floor where he had collapsed from Zarkon’s last attack. Getting hit by an attack like that twice really hurt like a bitch, but he tried to push past it, assessing their current situation. The lion had become dark again, and Shiro wasn’t moving.

“Shiro? _Takashi?!_ ” Kuro tries to call out to his brother, but he can’t hear him. Shiro looks like he’s trapped in a nightmare, groaning in pain with sweat beading on his flesh. Something was wrong. Kuro began to panic before the answer hit him. _Zarkon._ It had to be him. That _‘duel’_ Shiro had mentioned before when Zarkon fought him for control of the black lion. The bastard was trying to kill him again!

Kuro ripped off his brother’s helmet and grasped the sides of his face with both hands. “Hold on, Takashi! Don’t you dare die on me!” Kuro leaned his forehead against his brother’s trying to figure out how to even intervene in this situation. Desperate for help he called out to the only force he knew who had any say in the matter. “Black! _Please_ , I need your help!” The lion roared at his words and suddenly everything went dark.

* * *

Shiro pushes himself up off the ground of what he could only describe as an astral plane of some sort within the black lion. His vision was slowly refocusing on the villain that stalked towards him with a calm stride. The overconfidence was practically radiating off of him and it irritated Shiro to no end. He couldn’t believe he was stuck in this situation _again_ , but he had to give Zarkon points for determination. It was just utterly annoying that the man didn’t know how to take _“no”_ for an answer.

_He’s about as bad as some of the would-be suitors I’ve met at the garrison._

Shiro laughed internally at the thought, shaking his head at himself.

_God, I’m starting to sound like Ryou._

Willing the thoughts away, he refocused on the man in front of him. He couldn’t afford to let his guard down. Zarkon was too much of a threat to waste time with idle thoughts.

“This is a fight you cannot win, champion. You’re not worthy to command the black lion and I will not suffer this insolence any longer.” Zarkon stood a few feet away from the paladin in a rather relaxed manner, mocking his abilities as a fighter.

“You’re _wrong_ ,” Shiro grunts through his words, struggling back to his feet. “ _You’re_ the one who’s not worthy to pilot the black lion, and you will _never_ be it’s paladin again! You abandoned your friends. You _betrayed_ them. And you betrayed Black. The lions are not just weapons to be used. They’re _living beings_ and we are _not_ their masters.” He glared at Zarkon, anger burning in his heart at the man’s disrespect for others and life itself. “Being a paladin of Voltron is about _trusting_ in your team and in your lions. It’s about _protecting the universe_ , not _destroying_ it. You’re a monster who has no regard for anyone but himself, and if I know Black as well as I think I do, the lion will never accept someone as coldhearted as you as it’s paladin.”

Zarkon bellowed in rage, launching himself at Shiro. “You dare to lecture me _again_ , weakling?! I will _destroy you_ and take back what is mine!”

Barely able to dodge Zarkon’s relentless assault, Shiro was forced on the defensive. His entire body felt so weak at this point that he was close to stumbling onto the ground. He tried his best to fight back, but it all felt as if it were in vain. That attack from Zarkon’s ship, whatever it was, had drained a great deal of energy from both him and the black lion. Add on that last attack from Zarkon against the head of Voltron that had ultimately led him _here_ , and it was a perfect recipe for disaster.

_I can’t give up. Not now. Everyone is counting on me!_

Shiro put all his strength into his Galra hand, trying to pierce the armor on Zarkon’s chest and throat. Zarkon dodged every attempt and Shiro was getting more desperate with each passing second. He could feel himself growing weaker. He had to end this now before it was too late.

In one last desperate attempt, Shiro charged at Zarkon, aiming his weapon at the man’s throat and putting all the energy he had left into the strike, but it failed to make contact. Zarkon knocked him down hard on his back with a strong punch to his chest. Unable to hold it back, he cried out in agony as his body hit the ground. It felt as though his bones had been broken from the impact of Zarkon’s fist.

Shiro coughed in pain while Zarkon approached him, looming over him with a wickedly smug grin like the conceited prick he was. Shiro glared at him in defiance with what little energy he could still muster as he struggled to breath. Despite feeling broken and helpless, he did not wish to give up to this monster. He couldn’t let him win if it meant the entire universe would be in danger. He struggled to move his body, but it refused to listen to him.

 _This…this_ can’t _be the end. I won’t let them down…_

“This time, champion, _you will die_ ,” Zarkon said triumphantly, raising his fist to deliver the final blow.

“Guess again, asshole!” Kuro growled as he punched Zarkon in the side of his head with all the power he had in his Galra made fist. The entire arm glowed a bright purple, the intensity of it’s light shining as brightly as the rage in his heart. The blow launched the emperor a fair distance away from his brother, his body crashing so hard into the ground that it cracked the surface beneath him.

Kuro was baring his teeth in anger when Zarkon looked up at him and laughed scornfully at his efforts. The bastard actually had the nerve to smugly smile at him as if he’d already won this fight. It made Kuro’s blood boil. He wanted to check on his brother, but right now he could not afford to take his eyes off this man until he was dead. He was going to make damn sure of that. The prick had the gall to try and murder his brother not once, but _twice_ this way! Kuro was still pissed he hadn’t been there to protect his brother the first time. He would _not_ let that happen again.

“Ryou,” Shiro said weakly. “How are you-”

“Quiet, Takashi. Save your strength.” Kuro’s voice came out soft and pained with worry. He shook his head and steeled himself through the torrent of emotions welling inside him from his brother’s voice. Now was not the time to be thinking about how frail he had sounded. “Just stay there and let me protect you.”

Shiro was angry at his words. He wanted to fight by his side. This wasn’t his brother’s fight to begin with, but he couldn’t deny his current condition. He had no choice but to rely on him and wished he could support him in some way. “Alright,” he whispered reluctantly. “Please…just be careful.”

Kuro wanted to laugh at Shiro’s hypocrisy. How could he tell him to be careful when he himself had always gone out of his way to place himself in danger for the sake of others? Kuro shook his head, about to tell his brother to just shut up and relax, but he wasn’t given the chance because Zarkon was now back on his feet.

“ _Clone_ ,” Zarkon said with disgust. “How are you even here?” He narrowed his eyes at the young human, genuinely puzzled by his presence. This duel was only to be between him and the current paladin of the black lion, so how was it possible that a third could enter?

Kuro scoffed at the name, glaring with all the venom he held inside him for this bastard that had once held them both captive and torn them apart from one another. “For the last time, _dick_ , I’m _not a ‘clone’_. And y’know the funny thing about _twins_? We’re _always_ connected to each other. Black accepted us _both_ as it’s ‘paladins’, and I’m gonna kick your ass for hurting my brother.”

Without another word he launched himself at Zarkon with all the fury he’d been holding back. His movements were deadly and fierce, like a feral beast locked onto it’s prey. Zarkon was taken aback by the difference between his fighting style and his brother’s. What he didn’t know was that while they were both trained by the druids in how to use their new arms, Kuro had a knack for fighting dirty, taking every opportunity he could to one-up his opponents. Not only that, Kuro did not care if he killed the very same tyrant that has been terrorizing the entire universe and his family.

Zarkon suffered repeated blows to his head and body every time he failed to block or dodge. He could feel his own energy draining between this fight and the damage Voltron had done to his battle armor. He was running out of time. Zarkon snarled in frustration and rushed toward Shiro’s vulnerable body still lying on the ground. If he didn’t have time to kill _this_ paladin, he was going to at least take out his other half to weaken them.

“ _You coward!_ ” Kuro shouted behind him as he chased after him.

_Shit. Shit. Shit! I’m not gonna make it in time!_

He starts to panic as Zarkon gets closer to his currently helpless brother, tears burning in his eyes at the thought of losing him forever. “ _TAKASHI!_ ” He yells so loud that his throat feels like it’s tearing open as he reaches out towards them. Without warning, a sharp pain travels through his right arm, the Galra tech growing even brighter than it had been a moment ago. A beam of violet light shot out from his palm, piercing straight through Zarkon’s back and he suddenly vanished from the realm, everything around them falling into darkness again.

Kuro’s body lurches forward, gasping for breath as if he’d just woken up from a horrible nightmare. He looked around, realizing that he must’ve collapsed to the floor next to Shiro’s seat after he’d blacked out and entered that realm.

_Takashi!_

Despite his weakened state, he jumps up off the floor and straight to his brother, the adrenaline of fear pushing him forward. He finds Shiro unconscious in the same place he had been before, his breathing labored and his flesh paling. Kuro picks him up out of the pilot’s seat and carries him down to the floor, sitting him in his lap.

He holds his brother tightly against his chest, afraid that he’d disappear the minute he lets go of him. “Takashi…please. Just hang on a little longer…” He choked on his words as tears uncontrollably spilled from him eyes. His body felt numb from the intense emotions and fear that his brother would die. “Please don’t leave me…I can’t live without you.” His body trembled as he held his brother as closely as he possibly could, burying his face in his hair. 

Over his sobs he could hear the other paladins calling out to Shiro through the communications link in his helmet that was now lying on the floor. He couldn’t answer them, his voice caught in his throat from the grief. He closed his eyes and rocked back and forth anxiously with his brother in his arms, willing his own energy into him. Surely Black would be capable of helping him achieve that much, right? If Black could help him reach that plane where he and Zarkon fought, then this had to be possible too. He focused his entire being on it, shutting everything else out to concentrate.

It wasn’t until Kuro heard the others rushing into the cockpit that he realized they were back inside the castle. Everyone immediately panicked at Shiro’s pale complexion and it snapped Kuro out of his daze. “He needs medical attention immediately,” he said tiredly as he raised Shiro up to the reaching hands of Keith, Hunk and Lance. To his relief he could see Coran had already brought a healing pod with him and they were loading Shiro into it. His brother was in good hands.

Kuro’s eyes fell on you, noticing the horrified expression on your face, tears streaming down your cheeks as you watched them push Shiro off toward the infirmary. When Shiro was out of sight, your attention turned to him and he forced himself to smile in a pathetic attempt to reassure you. The problem was, he wasn’t so sure things were going to be okay himself, and you obviously weren’t convinced by it.

You lean down and help him up asking him what happened. “It’s a long story,” he replied in a weak tone, unable and unwilling to talk about it at this time. When you nodded in understanding, he smiled weakly at you. “I need to see him. Need to make sure he’s okay.”

“I’ll help you,” you said as you wrapped your arm around him. “Lean on me for support.” He obeyed and the two of you walked together carefully out of the lion and toward the infirmary in absolute silence. Neither of you knew what to say and the direness of the situation seemed to make the silence all the more unbearable.

Kuro tilted his head slightly in your direction, eyeing you carefully before he could bring himself to speak. “I’m glad you’re alive…I…” His voiced trailed off at the thought of how much worse things could have been. He didn’t want to think about it and he refused to let himself believe that his brother would die at the end of all this.

Meeting his gaze you smile at him gently as you continue guiding him down the corridor. “I’m glad you’re alive too. Both of you,” you said softly. Your heart tightened at the thought of Shiro’s current condition and what it must be doing to Kuro. It had to be hurting him more than it did you right now even though you loved him with all your heart. You felt a strong need to uplift Kuro’s emotions before he could fall into depression and grief. “Takashi’s a resilient man. I know he won’t give up no matter what happens.”

He smiled back at you with a fondness in his eyes. “Yeah, he always was stubborn and determined, even as a kid.”

The two of you laughed softly, trying to think positive about the situation while talking about all the things the three of you had gotten up to in the past as you made your way to Shiro’s side.


	5. Fractured

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [DISCLAIMER]  
> This is a work of fiction. Opinions, morals and religious beliefs expressed by the characters do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the author.
> 
>  
> 
> With that in mind, this is Kuro in all his glory. He will tell how he feels without pulling punches, and if you don’t feel the same about the given subject, he’ll tell you right where to go. lol 
> 
> I’d tell you as to which part this disclaimer is intended for, but you’ll know when you see it and I don’t want to ruin it for you.

_When we were kids, I always felt a strong need to protect my brother. I couldn’t help feeling like he was my responsibility even though he was the eldest. Ever since we found out he was sick, I blamed myself for it every day of my life. How could it not be my fault? I was the one who came out perfectly healthy while my twin brother suffered with an illness he didn’t deserve. I felt like it should’ve been the other way around. Like I should have been the one to bear that burden, not him. Every time I would say it out loud, he just smiled at me, bright and loving, denying that I had anything to do with it._

_He was always the light in my life. Always the one to hold his head high despite everything. You don’t even know how right you were that night when you told me that he was the light and I was the dark. Takashi had always remained strong through everything he was forced to endure, even the heartless assholes who would tease him at school when they found out._

_I’d only ever catch him crying when it was too much. When that dam had burst open from holding it in so long. Each time I was there to comfort him. Each time I was there to beat the ever-loving shit out of whoever caused his pain. Even at the garrison, I beat the crap out of the jealous bastards that had the nerve to throw his disability in his face because they were too inadequate at their jobs, telling him it was only a matter of time before he lost his wings and fell back to the ground. Needless to say, I broke a few of their_ ‘wings’ _to shut them up. It was worth the punishment. Iverson could be a dick at times, but the minute he heard_ why _I did what I did, the man was surprisingly sympathetic. Didn’t stop him from cussing my ass out though and making sure to keep me in line, as if he really could._

 _I still remember the way Takashi himself scolded me. He was terrified I would get kicked out for doing something like that._ ‘Behavioral issues’. _As if I wasn’t justified in my actions. In my book, you don’t do that bullying shit to people and expect to get away with it unscathed. If you’re gonna selfishly hurt someone, you had better expect to get hurt yourself tenfold._

 _Maybe he was afraid to be apart from me. Maybe he was afraid I’d be punished for wanting to protect him the way I did. He only ever told me that he simply did not want to see me get kicked out for something that_ wasn’t my problem _in the first place. That honestly pissed me off and I let him know it. That was also the same day Takashi and I started becoming…_ intimate _with each other._

 _When we were teenagers, I admit we did experiment here and there, but the kind of passion that was exhibited_ that day, _was unlike anything we had ever done in the past. It was raw, passionate, unadulterated love that had been boiling beneath the surface since as far back as I can remember. We just hadn’t let ourselves admit it until that moment. From the very beginning of life, our two hearts were one. Two halves of the same whole. If felt so natural and right that nothing else in the world mattered._

 _To hell with what society_ thinks _is right and wrong. They got it wrong from the very start anyway. Love isn’t something that can be leashed by words like_ ‘natural order’ _and_ ‘moral obligation’. _Just because a man and woman can have a child doesn’t mean that’s the_ only way _to love someone. For fucks sake, if people would open their damn eyes and take a look at their surroundings, they’d see same sex love among nature itself. I was amazed myself when I looked that shit up and found scientific research on the subject. Even animals are gay and it’s perfectly normal. It’s_ close-minded _humans who choose to deny this fact of life. Never felt so sick of my own race before learning how awful people can be._

 _Yeah, okay, I can see how the_ ‘brothers’ _thing might ruffle some feathers, but what the fuck does that matter when we’re inseparable as it is? A love so strong it tears you apart inside to be without it, is a love that can’t be denied. It’s a love that was_ meant to be. _It’s my god given right to have the freewill to love him, and I’ll be damned if I let anyone say different. Thinking about it makes me remember something Takashi told me once before. A tale about star-crossed lovers and how they committed suicide at the same time to be together forever when the world tried to deny them their love. They were reincarnated into twins of the same family. It made me wonder if that had happened to us in a previous life. It certainly fits this situation._

 _The day Takashi told me he was chosen for the Kerberos mission, I almost lost my shit. I was angry, scared, and panicky because I wasn’t going with him, but I hid it all inside and told him I believed in him. That if anyone could pull this off, he could. It didn’t work though. Takashi saw right through my bullshit and pulled me into one of the tightest hugs I’ve ever received from him. I could tell he was scared too. We’d never been apart for that long of a time before. We always had this strong need to touch each other. To be close to each other at all times. Having him far off in space where I can’t reach him was far too much distance for both of us, but this was his_ dream. _A dream we both shared in, but one I wouldn’t be a part of for this particular mission._

_Imagine my happiness when Admiral Sanda was being her usual annoying, tight-ass self, trying to deny my brother his chance to do something meaningful among the stars. I was outside the office when it happened, and I made myself known the minute the argument started. I waltzed right in there with an offer the bitch couldn’t refuse. There was no one better to go along on this mission with them than me. I was familiar and close with everyone involved, I had the skill and know-how to deal with any situation that may arise, and I could save our asses if something went wrong with him mid-flight._

_When she said I should simply pilot the mission myself, I told her I refused to take part without Takashi present as the main pilot. I would not take that chance away from him. Not even to protect him. It was only a matter of time until he would lose this chance forever and that’s what scared me the most. The thought of how brokenhearted he would be the day he was no longer able to fly. It tore me up inside to imagine him like that. To see his bright shining star fall mercilessly from the heavens, forever grounded on the Earth’s surface. I hated that it was even a possibility to begin with. Again, I wished for nothing more than to be the one bearing that burden in his place. I can live without space, but I can’t live without_ him.

 _Then there was_ you. _God, it killed me when you made that face. When you looked like you wanted to cry the day we were heading off into the stars. Like you wanted to grab onto us and beg us not to go. I could see it in your eyes, but you didn’t say a word. You knew how badly Takashi wanted this and you weren’t going to try to talk him out of it. You believed in both of us and wished us a safe trip. It broke my heart seeing you like that. It’s why I moved before I even realized what I was doing, ruffling your hair the same way I always did ever since I started to let you in. I wanted to take your fear away, even if only a little._

 _What I wasn’t expecting was your response, telling me you wanted me to come back too. All the words behind that statement were as clear as day. You’d_ miss me _if I was_ gone. _You’d_ mourn me _if I was_ dead. _The emotions that washed over me were difficult to contain, but somehow I managed to stop myself from pulling you in and kissing you right then and there. You had no idea how much you have affected my life, even before we became as close as we are now. I never let anyone in before you. No one but my own brother. To have you say those things to me…it made me even more determined to come back to you in one piece._

 _Life’s never that easy though, is it? The Kerberos mission turned into a colossal shitstorm that I almost wish never happened. When we were on the surface with the Holts trying to collect samples, some big ass ship decides to mosey on over in our direction and suck us all up into this tractor beam from hell. It was like something out of a fucking Sci-Fi movie. Like seriously,_ what the fuck? _Do aliens_ get off _on surprising people with this shit or what? I think that’s one of the things that humans got right in all of their stories about aliens. At least with_ these aliens _that is. Still, I got a kick out of hearing Matt scream like a girl on the way up. That was some funny shit right there, despite the severity of the situation._

 _The_ Galra _were the assholes that kidnapped us. An alien race of violent douchebags, led by an even bigger douche named Zarkon that wants to_ rule the whole damn universe. _Cliché much? I wanted to knock his damn head off from the first moment I saw him on that display screen in their ship. Sadly, I never got the chance back then._

_After our capture, they knocked us all out. I have no idea where they took us. Maybe we were on the same ship, maybe not. All I know is we woke up in the same cell together before they separated us all. I was beyond angry when they came for Takashi--when they tried to take him away from me. I fought back, but it didn’t do much good. We weren’t exactly in the best condition at the time. All it earned me was some nasty bruises and I still lost my brother anyway. I was forced to watch soldiers drag him out of the room while I was pinned to the floor by three others. I don’t think I’ve ever screamed my brother’s name like that before in my life. I was so damn scared of what they would do to him. We weren’t like the Holts. We were strong, but we were only pilots. The technological genius of the Holts would keep them alive if our enemies saw them as an asset, or even cared to. Us though? I had no idea what their intentions would be._

_It wasn’t long before I learned what role they’d given to us. They saw us as nothing more than slaves to be used and experimented on. Going through all of it, I wasn’t afraid for myself as much as I was afraid for my brother. If they were experimenting on_ me _like this, then what the hell were they doing to_ him? _It was all I could think about and it was driving me insane._

 _One day, one of the other slaves that I was with had mentioned someone named ‘The Champion’. Apparently there was an arena that they forced slaves to fight in. My blood ran cold when he described what this_ ‘champion’ _looked like. Said he looked exactly like me, except the eyes. I couldn’t help wondering why it was only Takashi. Why they hadn’t forced me to fight as well. Instead all they did were experiments and shit I can’t remember. Once again I found myself hating my own existence. Takashi was suffering more than me, fighting for his life against god knows what kinds of dangerous creatures that won’t show any mercy, and the worst part of it all was that I was stuck there in that goddamn cell unable to protect him._

 _The only thing I could take comfort in was that I could still_ feel _him. That he was still alive somewhere. It’s a part of our bond as twins I suppose. We could always sense each other’s existence no matter how far apart we were. I had never been more grateful for that fact than I was during that time._

 _The only other thing that kept me sane was memories of you. Of every time you gave me that shy smile whenever I said something that embarrassed you. Every time you’d laugh at our stupid jokes. Every time you’d smack me upside the head whenever I annoyed you. Each time you did it I couldn’t help this image that forms in my mind of a little kitten playfully swatting at someone’s head._ Fucking adorable. _I love it when you hit me…Huh…Now there’s a kink I didn’t know I had. Learn something new about yourself everyday._

_Seriously though, I swear you were made for us. You’re so perfect, and beautiful, and everything I never expected to find in someone that wasn’t my brother. Thoughts of you and Takashi, and all the time we had together was what kept me going through it all, even after I heard that the ‘champion’ had escaped while I was still stuck in the hands of the Galra._

_I knew Takashi didn’t leave me behind on purpose. He_ never _would. Something must’ve happened. Someone must’ve helped him escape, but he had no way to get to me. It was the first thing that came to my mind and I was grateful that he was free even if I wasn’t. That’s the way it should be. Takashi shouldn’t ever have to suffer like that._

_The next time I saw him was when he and those kids had found me and rescued me from that hellhole. He told me Pidge, whom I quickly recognized as Katie Holt, had deciphered information that mentioned me in a report and that’s how they found my location. Gotta give that girl props for how fast her brain works when it comes to picking apart alien technology and deciphering a language she doesn’t even know. When I saw her, I was surprised to see her looking like a little mini-Matt. Never imagined her cutting that beautiful hair of hers._

_When I saw Takashi again for the first time, it took everything I had not to cry the way_ he _did. I could see him trying to hold it back in front of the others, but he failed to stop those tears from escaping his eyes before grabbing a hold of me and dragging me off to his lion. A fucking_ lion. _A big, black,_ sentient, _robotic one at that._

 _Once again I felt like I was in some fucked up Sci-Fi movie, but I have to admit the lions and the whole paladin thing is kind of badass. The_ pride _of the fucking universe. I could almost hear the Lion King music in the background as I watched them fly back to their ship. I couldn’t help laughing and singing the damn theme song. Takashi had looked at me like I’d lost my mind from the torture the Galra had put me through, but then he smiled, his lips trembling with the effort to hold back his laughter, and he failed horribly. It felt so good to hear him laugh out loud again after so long. We always did dumb shit like that as kids to make each other laugh, and it reminded me of all the good times. Hell, we even joked around when we were alone together at the garrison to relive some stress. I’m glad neither of us have really changed even after all this._

 _It wasn’t until we got back on the altean ship that I was finally able to see and really take in what they had done to Takashi. Suddenly, everything that they had done to_ me _made sense. The scar across my nose, amputating my arm and replacing it with a robotic one, the scars on my body that practically mirrored his, even though I had some of my own from the experiments. It was like they were trying to keep us looking the same. For what purpose, I didn’t know. Maybe it was some kind of sick joke. Maybe they were making me a backup incase something did happen to their ‘champion’ and they were going to use me to replace him in the arena. Or maybe it was something far worse than that. Whatever the reason, I didn’t care. He was safe now, he came for me just like I always knew he would, and we were finally together again._

_As soon as I stepped out of the lion I was greeted with your beautiful, teary-eyed face as you launched yourself at me, giving me the first hug I had ever received from you. It felt so warm, and nice that I didn’t want to let you go. Then it hit me--Why the hell were you even here? It didn’t take long to get that question answered, and while I was happy to see you, I was also angry that even you had been dragged into this war. I wanted you to be safe, but I knew that really, there was no place in the entire universe that was safe. One day the Galra would go to Earth, and you’d be in danger. It was better to have you at our side where we could at least try to protect you._

_Takashi had taken me to his room after introducing me to his alien friends, Allura and Coran, along with his new human friends that were cadets from the garrison and his fellow paladins. The moment we entered the room it was like a floodgate had opened inside of me and I tackled him in the most desperate hug I’d ever given anyone in my life. I cried so hard I can’t even remember how long it took me to stop. I just couldn’t hold it in anymore. I had been so_ lonely _without him. So_ scared _of what he might be going through and the fact that I might never see him again if the Galra decided to get rid of me._

_The days that followed were like a blur. Takashi had encouraged me to take part in being another paladin and a part of the team, but it wasn’t until he got hurt that we realized I really could be one. The black lion had let me pilot it, bringing my brother back to the ship safe and sound. When Allura started looking at me like I could be a leader in his place if anything should happen to him, I put the brakes on that damn train immediately. I refused to take my brother’s place. I only agreed to pilot the black lion when necessary, but Takashi made me promise him in private to lead if it became an issue. I hated that I said yes, but I couldn’t deny him that._

_That’s when we started working on_ ‘bonding’. _Jesus, that was easier said than done. I’m not exactly a_ ‘people person’ _and a bunch of kids I didn’t know that well didn’t make this a cakewalk. I mean I knew Katie, the fiery little rug rat. Not much trouble there. She always hated it when I called her_ ‘munchkin’ _but I knew she loved me all the same the minute she jumped into my arms upon seeing me again._

_And Keith, well he warmed up to me a long time ago because of his love for my brother. We’re practically family. But the others? Lance and Hunk? Yeah, I didn’t know a damn thing about them, and Lance was such a flirtatious dork I couldn’t help slapping him upside the head the first time I met him. Ironically, it was reminiscent of the way you slapped me when annoyed, which never failed to make that wonderful laugh tumble from your lips._

_Not to say that the kid doesn’t have his merits. He proved to me time and again that he could pull his own weight. When I first heard him call himself the team’s_ ‘sharpshooter’ _I accidentally laughed in his face. Of course I followed it up with an awkward apology when Takashi gave me that_ look, _but I did doubt him at first. It wasn’t until I saw him in action that I started to believe his words. He may be_ eccentric, _but he knows his way around a gun, and I know I can count on him to have my back. Didn’t take long to learn that he was just as insecure as me on the inside though, and I think that’s one of the things that helped us bond with each other so well. Not to mention, we both like to flirt. Only difference is he flirts with_ every girl he meets, _whereas I only flirt with and heavily tease_ you.

 _Hunk on the other hand, I_ love _that boy. The kid can cook like a damn_ gourmet chef, _and we’re in space! How the hell does he do it?! I mean when you look at the food, it sometimes looks like a pile of crap--like the food goo--but the_ taste. _I’d hire that kid to cook for me any day. He may be a bit jittery on the battlefield, but he always pulls through in the end. Thank god he got over the nausea issues when piloting his lion. The thing that surprised me though, was that he was just as much of a tech junkie as Katie. I swear those two are nerdy best friends for life. The shit they come up with never fails to impress me._

 _After the whole bonding thing, and learning to form Voltron with the team, that’s when shit really started to hit the fan. Zarkon was coming after us time and again like flies raiding a dung heap--adequate metaphor in my opinion--and we couldn’t catch a break. I was often with my brother in the black lion, and when we were on the ground I was kicking Galra ass like there was no tomorrow. God it felt good to finally get a bit of revenge for the whole kidnapping fiasco. I have to admit I was a little grateful for the nice weapon they’d given me in the form of an arm. I intended to shove it so far up Zarkon’s mightier-than-thou_ ass _that he’d be my fucking hand puppet. Payback’s a bitch as they say, and using their own weapons against them? Icing on the cake._

 _Then that_ duel _happened. Something weird with my arm that I never knew it could do. Something I’m not sure had anything to do with that astral plane we were on. I have no fucking clue if I should be scared of it, or happy about it. Now I’m depressed, confused_ \--conflicted-- _and Takashi’s fighting for his life inside a damn healing pod aboard the ship and I just don’t know what to do._

 

Kuro sighs and rolls himself out of his bed. He couldn’t stay asleep even after he’d passed out from exhaustion. You had told him to get some rest, but how could he even manage to when his brother was hurt? When he’d witnessed something so horrifying that he’ll never forget it? It was the first time he’d ever seen his brother so close to death, and it’s been the constant source of his restless sleep ever since that day. Even when his brother was sick from a common cold or flu he never looked _that_ bad, and it terrified him to think of it.

He shrugs off his nightclothes and lazily pulls on his outfit, sitting on the edge of his bed to put his pants and shoes on carefully. He didn’t trust himself not to face-plant on the floor at the moment if he attempted to get dressed while standing up. He yawned and stretched his sore muscles, pushing himself up and heading out the door towards the only place he cared to go.

When he arrived in the infirmary, he found you sound asleep on the floor, curled up right next to Shiro’s pod. A smile tugged at his lips, an image of a kitten curled up wandering into his mind and overlaying on you.

 _I_ definitely _picked the right name for you._

He moved over to you, stroking your hair gently and listening to the soft breaths of your slumber. He knew you were just as tired as him and that unlike him, you were unable to force yourself to stay awake beyond a certain point. Sometimes you could, but those times were rare. He wasn’t about to wake you up now that you were resting. You needed it just as badly as he did. Instead he disappeared and came back with a blanket, draping it over you and tucking it in to keep you warm.

Petting your hair one last time, he got back up and moved over to the source of his restless heart. He stood in front of the pod, looking over his brother who was standing quietly inside. The first thought in his mind was how his brother currently resembled Snow White after she’d bitten the poisoned apple. Skin pale, his beautiful face peaceful, and the threat of death looming over him. 

His eyes shifted to the monitor that displayed his vitals. Shiro was stable, but the pulse was weak. Kuro’s jaw tightened at the data, grinding his teeth together subconsciously from the stress. It had been about a week since he’d been placed inside. He knew his brother was a fighter, but he didn’t want to leave anything to chance. He leaned his forehead against the glass, placing his flesh hand to it as well.

“ _Takashi_ ,” he whispered softly, his voice shaking with desperation. “ _Please…_ come back to me.” Tears streamed down his face without his consent, but he felt that was irrelevant at this very moment. He needed to reach out to his brother. He needed to give him his energy the same way he had in the lion. He closed his eyes and focused his mind, praying he could reach his brother in whatever hell he might be trapped in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you don’t know it, Kuro was singing the first few seconds of this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlkPh7kOnt4


	6. Eternity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the delay in getting this chapter up. This has been typed up for about a month now, but I didn’t have the time to go through editing it until recently.
> 
> Also, I would like to take a moment to say thank you to witchboywriting. I saw what you wrote in your bookmark and I have to say I’m honored that anyone would call my work ‘beautifully written’. It’s certainly a boost in confidence that I appreciate. I’m happy to know that people are really enjoying my work. And don’t worry, this story isn’t going to be left incomplete. I’d never do something like that to my readers. xD It’s just taking me some time to get the chapters up because life can be quite unruly at times.

It was a new day at the Galaxy Garrison and Shiro was making his way down the corridors to Commander Iverson’s office early that morning. He received an assignment to look after a promising new pilot who would be arriving in a few minutes and there was no time left to waste. While he was nervous about being responsible for this transfer, he also felt a sense of excitement at being able to meet someone new.

He thought over the pilot’s name again, smiling at what he remembered of the information in the report he was given. The man had proven himself to be quite the natural when it came to aviation, exceeding all expectations and slowly making a name for himself. It almost reminded Shiro of his own situation, breaking records and raising in popularity among his peers, and he knew all too well that with popularity also came adversity. Those around him would either idolize him or see him as a threat to their own position. 

Shiro was going to make it a point to befriend his charge so that he wouldn’t feel alone in a strange place right off the bat. As his mentor, he wanted to be supportive in the only ways he knew how, by making the new transfer feel comfortable and encouraging him to never give up no matter what anyone says.

Now standing outside Iverson’s office, Shiro hears the voices of two people inside and waits patiently for them to stop, not wanting to disturb them. He takes a deep breath to ready himself, before stepping inside the minute the voices cease.

When he enters the room, the attention of both Iverson and an unknown face fall onto him. The first thing he notices about the newcomer is the way his body looks entirely soaked in water, hair matted to his face and his clothing sticking to his skin. Empathy washed over Shiro along with a strong need to get him into something dry so that the man wouldn’t become sick. In the back of his mind, he was wondering why that hasn’t already happened, but then he remembered that transfers were to report to Iverson _immediately_ , which left no time for a change of clothing. He made a mental note to remedy that as soon as possible.

The second thing to register in his mind was how cute he found this new transfer to be. A look of awe with a hint of embarrassment flush on his cheeks, and the way he shifted nervously while trying to keep a professional stance in the presence of his superiors. Shiro knew that look all too well. It was the look of every star-struck cadet he’d ever met who knew of his reputation, but this time it was far more reserved and shocked than anything else. Maybe even a bit intimidated. The man wasn’t fawning all over him like a few others had, which Shiro was very grateful for. It was flattering for a time, but at this point in his life, he’s had enough of people hitting on him upon first meeting him.

“Shirogane, you’re right on time.” Iverson nodded in his direction before turning his attention back to the new addition to their base. “Shirogane will be your mentor for the time being until you’ve settled in and learned everything you need to know.”

Iverson walked out from behind his desk and towards the door before turning around to leave them with a few last words before his departure. “I have a meeting to attend, so if you have any further questions address them to him.”

“Sir, yes sir!” The man said as he quickly saluted his commanding officer, not daring to drop his arm before the doors closed behind his superior. He sighed quietly as he let his arm fall, turning his attention to his new mentor. “I’m sorry that I look like such a mess on the first day, Mr. Shirogane, sir.”

Shiro chuckled at the man’s formal response and decided he needed to lighten the mood. “Please, just call me Shiro. Mr. Shirogane is my father,” he said with a smile.

The young pilot quirked an eyebrow in question. “Is that really okay? I mean you’re my superior and…”

“It’s absolutely fine. I prefer not to have an uptight air around me if I can help it.” He gave one more reassuring smile and his new charge reciprocated the gesture. “Now then, let’s get you into your new uniform, shall we?” 

The man nodded and fell in line behind Shiro as he walked out of the room towards the assigned sleeping quarters at the base where his new garrison uniform awaited him.

 

The days that followed were quite exciting and eventful for Shiro. It wasn’t every day that he’d gotten the chance to teach someone who genuinely wanted to learn and held on to his every word. The man was pushing himself to new heights the best he could with Shiro leading the way, and it filled him with a sense of pride that his charge was doing so well under his care. When he’d first accepted the assignment, he didn’t have much confidence in himself as a suitable teacher for someone who already had experience, but it seemed that there were still things even he could teach him and he would focus on that to aid his fellow pilot.

At the end of each day, Shiro told his brother about everything that went on and how impressed he was with the man’s progress. It was nice to have a new face in the garrison that could keep up with him, and the man’s personality was so pleasant that they had already become what Shiro felt he could call good friends.

“You really should make an effort to meet him, Ryou. I know you’re busy, but he’s a really nice guy,” Shiro said as he passed Ryou his portion of their shared dinner and sat down.

“I bet,” Ryou replied with a knowing look on his face. “The way you talk about him, he must be something really special.”

That was all it took for Shiro to fall into another lengthily conversation about his newfound friend, regaling his brother with the daily events that put a smile on Shiro’s face as they ate together. His brother carefully listened to every word, never once complaining about how long the conversation had went on.

“Sounds like he’s a keeper,” Ryou said amusedly as he gathered the dishes and walked over to the sink. “Guess I’ll talk to him once we actually run into each other.” He looked back to his brother with a sly smile. “Do me a favor and don’t tell him about me. I want it to be a surprise.”

Shiro laughed at his twin’s sense of humor. Ryou always loved to mess with people’s minds, confusing them because the two looked so identical at first glance that it was uncanny. The only difference between them had been their eyes, which their mother had been grateful for because knowing Ryou, he would’ve pulled pranks on their parents too. “Just don’t screw with his head, okay? He’s a good guy.”

Ryou grinned at those words. “I’m not making any promises,” he says, turning his back towards his brother to attend to the dishes.

* * *

High in the sky the unrelenting sun beat down on Shiro with it’s intense heat in this desert climate, but it was merely an afterthought in the wake of the thrill that filled his entire being. From the very first day he arrived as a cadet at the Galaxy Garrison, this desert had become his playground, honing his skills both on land and in the air. Tearing across it’s rugged terrain atop his hovercraft was always a favorite pastime. 

This moment was his serenity--his peace--that made life much easier to deal with when the stress became too much. The joy of simply living and becoming one with the nature around him. A part of him wished he could truly fly without the need for an aircraft, but that was just a silly dream that humans always had. An impossibility, yet still a lovely thought. To be like a bird with wings that flew freely among the clouds.

Today the exhilarating moment had become even more special to him now that he was sharing it with his newest friend that he’d offered to bring along for the ride. He looks back to his passenger briefly when he felt it was safe to do so, smiling at the joy he finds on the man’s features before turning his attention back to the path ahead of him. “How you holding up back there?”

“Better than I thought I would,” you reply happily. “I was nervous about this at first because I’ve never ridden on one of these before, but this is actually really nice!”

“Glad to hear it, but you might want to hold on a little tighter right about now,” Shiro says with a mischievous smile as he quickly approaches his favorite place to pull off a free fall dive. He wasn’t about to leave his friend out of the best part of riding through this desert.

“What do you mea--Shiro! Cliff!” You shout in a panic, pointing past him and straight ahead towards the impending threat.

“Hold on tight!” Shiro pushes the throttle even harder, picking up speed as he races towards it.

“What?!” Your voice cracked in fear and disbelief of Shiro’s daredevil behavior. With the cliff fast approaching you didn’t have the time to question his sanity, instead opting to quickly squeeze your arms around his body in a death grip.

“Just trust me!” Shiro replies as he dives over the edge.

“ _Holy SHIT!_ ” You hold on for dear life as the craft plunges toward the ground below. With your body pressed so close to his own, Shiro could feel your heart attempting to burst from your chest as the surface came closer and closer, threatening to kill them both. He knew without looking that the fear of the imminent impact had forced your eyes to instinctively shut tightly just by the way you held onto him with all your might.

The crash never came thanks to Shiro’s experience in handling the vehicle, and the two of them sped away safely out into the open desert. It wasn’t until the craft came to a stop that you finally had the nerve to open your eyes. “Is it over…?” You said exhaustedly.

Shiro laughed at you as he dismounted the vehicle. “It wasn’t _that_ scary, was it?”

“Dude, you nearly killed me back there,” you sighed and followed suit, standing next to Shiro to admire the setting sun. You sigh deeply, obviously disappointed in yourself that you couldn’t manage to keep your eyes on your surroundings during that long drop. “Looks like I’ve still got a lot to learn.”

Shiro places his hand on your shoulder and squeezes it gently. “You’ll get there. You’ve got a lot of potential and you’ve been improving constantly since the day you arrived. I have faith in you.”

“Yeah, but to do that I gotta learn to keep my eyes open when death is about to hit me head-on,” you joked.

The two of them laughed heartily in the comfortable atmosphere that was surrounding them. Shiro had never felt this kind of peace in his life before with anyone other than his brother. He knew in that moment that he’d truly found a good friend. A familiar warmth filled his heart as he watched the glow of the sun’s fading light glistening in your eyes. He swallowed hard and looked away from the beauty he found there, unsure of how he should handle his newfound feelings.

* * *

Ever since the first day Shiro had heard you call his brother ‘Kuro’ he started calling him by that name himself, and today was the day that Ryou had decided to call him out on it.

“You really like calling me that, don’t you?” Ryou said, staring curiously at his brother as he stood in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest.

Shiro smiles at him fondly before answering him. “Yes, I do.” With a playful glint in his eye, he looks straight into his brother’s own. “It’s like our superhero names. Shiro and Kuro, the dynamic duo of the Galaxy Garrison!” He says with all the dramatic flair of a narrator, striking a cliché hero pose.

Ryou bursts into a fit of laughter. “Oh my god, you are such a damn dork.” He slaps his brother’s arm playfully, and Shiro punches him back gently in the shoulder.

“So are you.” Shiro laughs along with him, enjoying the warmth of his brother’s presence. It wasn’t often that they had time to simply relax together, so moments like this were his most treasured possessions in time. The memories carrying him through everything, even when he was at his lowest.

Ruffling his older brother’s hair roughly before letting him go, Ryou grips him on the shoulder firmly, grabbing his attention. “You love him don’t you?”

Shiro briskly looked up to meet his brother’s piercing gaze, shock written clearly on his own face for Ryou to see. The mood in the room had suddenly shifted from whimsical to serious, making Shiro feel a strange tension in his heart. He’d experienced the feelings before the more he spent time with you, but he wasn’t sure acting on those feelings was the right thing to do. Still, he had to be honest with himself and with his brother. “I…I think I do.”

Ryou hummed an acknowledgement at his words. “I thought so. The way you talk about him, it was kind of obvious.” 

Shiro felt his face flush in embarrassment as his brother smiled at him. It was painfully obvious that Ryou had noticed his feelings long before he himself had even realized it. His brother pulled him into a warm hug, nuzzling into his hair. A part of him felt content to stay like this without another word, but with Shiro being who he was, he couldn’t just let it end there.

“You love him too, don’t you?” Shiro heard the soft sigh of his brother as he held his body just a little bit tighter.

“Yeah, I think I do, but that doesn’t matter. I’m not going to take this away from you.” His tone was almost peaceful, but with a hint of remorse laying beneath it. They both knew a day like this would come, it was only a matter of time, and now that it’s here it didn’t feel any less awkward to think about.

“Don’t be like that.” Shiro said as he pulled away from his brother to look him in the eyes. “I don’t like it when you put your own feelings aside for me.”

Ryou huffed in irritation. “Then what do you expect me to do, Takashi? We can’t _both_ be with him, and I love you more than anything else in this world, so I’m not going to stand in your way if you want to pursue this. This is too good of an opportunity for you to pass up. He’s perfect for you.”

“He’s perfect for _us_. And I know you know that too, so don’t you dare try to push me away thinking it’s best for me.” 

Shiro’s voice reflected the sadness he felt in his heart, and it made Ryou bite down on his lower lip. He knew Ryou couldn’t argue against that because he felt the same about it, but they were fully aware that this wasn’t some fairytale where they could all just ride off into the sunset. While the two of them were okay with it, it didn’t mean the object of their affection would be, and that was a risk he was certain neither of them wanted to take. No one knew about their relationship with each other. They’d kept it hidden, just as they should. Not everyone in this world was open-minded enough to accept that their relationship was something beyond average, and the thought of losing you as a friend was a fear they both shared.

“ _Alright_ ,” Ryou said tiredly. “Let’s just…think about this more later. I’m too tired for this shit right now.”

A soft laugh fell from Shiro’s lips and it made Ryou smile at him. “Fair enough. Let’s get some rest, _Kuro_.” He teased, poking his brother’s chest before walking to his bed. He laid down and looked up at him expectantly, watching as his brother took the hint and laid down next to him, snuggling closely together to share the same bed for the night.

* * *

Shiro wakes up to find himself sitting against the wall inside a dark holding cell. The only light filling the room was a soft purple glow that lined the walls. He lifted his head from what felt like a shoulder, and looked to his side to find his brother looking at him with a pained expression. “You okay, Takashi?”

He took a moment to process his surroundings and what had happened leading up to this. The memories rushed forward when he saw the Holts sitting adjacent to them in the tiny room. “What happened?!” He asked as he quickly turned to his brother.

Kuro clicked his tongue and scowled at the door. “Well, after you tried the whole ‘we come in peace’ thing, the assholes knocked us all out and now we’re _here_.” His voice expressed his displeasure as he gestured around the room, his hands bound with an odd device that resembled handcuffs.

“At least we’re still alive…” Shiro sighed and returned his head back to his brother’s shoulder, trying to think of what his next move should be. If there was no reasoning with these aliens then they needed to form an escape plan, and quickly. There was no telling what they were being kept alive for and he didn’t want to stick around long enough to find out.

Kuro grabs his brother’s hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. “We’ll find a way out. I swear I’m going to protect you no matter what.” He leaned his head against Shiro’s, seeking some sense of comfort in this horrible situation they’ve gotten themselves into. They couldn’t let the fear in the back of their minds distract them from what they needed to do and it seemed that Ryou was thinking the same when he added, “I won’t let them hurt you.”

Shiro laughs softly at his brother’s words and leans into him further. “Isn’t that supposed to be my line?”

With a smirk, Kuro hold’s up their hands in front of them for Shiro to see. “Just because you’re the oldest, doesn’t mean you have to take all the responsibility. I told you that before didn’t I?” Shiro acknowledged his words with a nod against his shoulder. “Good. Now shut up and go back to sleep while I think of something.”

Shiro jabbed Kuro’s ribs with his elbow in mock offense, but smiled at him when he looked in his direction. “You should learn to respect your elders more,” he chided.

“Yeah, yeah. Go to sleep.”

The light banter gave Shiro a sense of hope that somehow everything would be okay, and that hope helped carry him back into a peaceful sleep at his brother’s side. If anyone could get out of this alive, they could. He had to believe that if they were ever going to have any chance at all.

* * *

After being separated from his brother, Shiro’s days became a blur of pain, blood and combat, never-ending in it’s relentless torture and test of his will to survive. Yet somehow he’d managed, for better or worse, and his lost arm became a constant reminder of what was at risk, but his body was becoming accustomed to the danger and his skills grew sharper with each battle. This was a nightmare surely, but it was a nightmare that he thrived in and he would not give up no matter what they threw at him. He had to escape, for himself, for his brother, and for the Holts, he had to _live_.

Ironically his salvation came in the form of a galra named Ulaz who was rebelling against his own kind in an effort to stop the tyranny of their emperor, Zarkon. The shared resentment for the monster was a comfort to Shiro, but he didn’t have much time to think about what was happening. The plan to escape came so quickly and unexpectedly that it left him feeling at a loss for what to do.

His new galra ally instructed him to steal a shuttle and find something called Voltron that was hidden on Earth. He never explained exactly what Voltron was, only that he couldn’t let it get into the hands of the galra or the entire universe would be doomed. That was more than enough reason for Shiro to commit himself to finding and protecting it at all costs.

His escape hadn’t gone unnoticed however, as he accidentally tripped the alarm when he was spotted by one of the warship’s robot soldiers. He fought them off with a bit of difficulty but he safely made it off the ship. However, before he managed to get out of range of the warship, he took a hit to the side of his vessel, damaging the outer hull. He prayed the ship would hold together long enough to make it back to Earth safely and looked to the control panel to figure out how to make it head in that direction. Somehow he knew how to program a course for Earth, his galra made hand moving before he even registered what he was doing. He couldn’t understand why he knew, but he didn’t have the time to worry about it. He needed to get back to Earth as soon as possible and keep the information that Ulaz had given him fresh in his mind.

Voltron… _I have to find Voltron._

 

The return to Earth hadn’t come as smoothly as he had hoped. The ship barely held together upon entering Earth’s atmosphere, crash landing into the desert sands just outside the garrison. 

Shiro stumbled out of the broken spacecraft only to be stopped in his tracks at the sight before him. Where the Galaxy Garrison once proudly stood was now nothing but a pile of rubble and ash. The entire place had been destroyed, reduced to a hollowed out ruin of what managed to stay standing in the wake of the assault, and there were no signs of survivors in the surrounding area.

“No… _No_! This can’t be real!” Shiro gripped at the sides of his head as he fell to his knees. “This can’t be happening…it isn’t real!” He closed his eyes tightly, shutting out the world-- _his world_ that had been destroyed. His _home_ that no longer held any signs of human life. Everything he loved that was left behind on Earth was gone and it left a hollow feeling inside his heart right next to the grief of losing those precious to him. He’d escaped the Galra only to return to a home that was already gone.

_This doesn’t feel right. A_ nightmare… _It has to be…_

His tears fell to the sand below him before the world around him disintegrated into nothingness, violently shocking Shiro into opening his eyes when the ground he was sitting on fell away, sending him into a freefall before his feet hit a hard surface that he couldn’t see. He tried to look around, but the entire area was black and empty. He looked down to his own hands, which oddly had a glow of their own, as if he were looking at his own spirit.

_Am I…dead?_

Shiro bit his lip at what that thought entailed. He was having trouble remembering something that he felt he _should_ remember, but it wasn’t coming to him. He wracked his brain hard trying to find the answer, but the result was fragmented at best.

_…A fight, but with_ who _? What happened to me?_

“….iro….”

_What?_

“…Shi…ro.”

“Who’s there?!” Shiro tried to look in the dark, but found nothing. The voice sounded disembodied like it was everywhere and nowhere all at once.

“Ta…ka…shi.”

A bright light broke through the darkness and blinded him momentarily, causing him to reflexively raise a hand to shield his eyes. “What the hell…” When his eyes adjusted to the light, he noticed a tall figure just inside of it. It took him a few seconds before he realized he was staring at the back of his one and only twin brother. His heart filled with a sense of relief and joy at the sight of something familiar in this cold, dark place. “Ryou?!”

His brother turned to look back at him, smiling before being completely engulfed by the light. Shiro panicked, rushing toward the light to chase after him. “Ryou! Wait!” He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, afraid to be left behind in the darkness once more. The very thought of being abandoned in this awful place shook him to his core. He didn’t want to be alone. Didn’t want to _die_. Without hesitation, he threw himself into the light, everything around him turning white in deafening silence. Visions of his life flashed before his eyes, assaulting all his senses before everything fell back into darkness along with his sense of awareness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhangers are fun, aren’t they? I cut this chapter short during the editing process because drama is half the fun when reading. lol But don’t worry, you’ll find out what happens soon enough because the next chapter continues from this one, and you’ll understand what’s going on incase you got confused at all. Hope you enjoyed reading. ;3


	7. Overcome

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dear friend Tsu is dying to read the next chapter, so I decided to go ahead and upload it early even though I’m not entirely sure I’m satisfied with it. I may edit it again at a later date, but for now I hope you enjoy it.

The pod hissed and slid open, causing Kuro to take a step back before catching his brother in his arms and holding him close to his chest. “Takashi?” He whispered in his ear, tears falling down onto his brother’s neck.

Shiro stirred awake at the warmth wrapped around him. He felt cold, but couldn’t understand why and didn’t care for the answer. He pressed into the warmth and let it hold him in it’s embrace. He listened to the sound of the soft voice next to his ear, taking a moment to recognize who those words belonged to. “Ryou…?” His mouth slurred the name, body feeling completely exhausted despite his time resting. “Where…,” he started to say, but stopped while trying to right himself in his brother’s arms, standing up as straight as he could manage to look him in the eyes.

“Welcome back.” Kuro smiled through his tears before wiping them away with one hand. That overbearing weight on his heart had finally lifted and the joy he felt in hearing his brother’s voice again had no words to describe it. Shiro was alive. He _survived_ , and it was more than he could ever ask for.

Kuro pulled Shiro back into a hug, resting Shiro’s head on his shoulder and running his fingers through his hair. Shiro didn’t fight it, going along with the motion, perfectly content to stay in this moment for as long as his brother desired. He was still remembering everything that led up to this point, his memory falling short after the final fight with Zarkon. This was where he assumed he’d lost consciousness and began to dream, ending up lost in that sea of old memories that turned into a nightmare.

His brother broke his concentration when he finally spoke again. “Hey…you really wanna know what that whole Batman thing is about?”

“Oh, _now_ you want to tell me?” Shiro’s voice comes out sarcastic, but he chuckles softly against his brother’s neck, feeling the way his body goes rigid as if he’d just hit a nerve. Ryou lets out a quiet, irritated sigh, but he knew it wasn’t directed at him. That sound was something Ryou always did when he was feeling guilty about something.

Stroking Shiro’s back as he thought of what to say, Kuro recounted the day he’d saved you. “Remember when I told you some asshat was harassing your new best friend?” Shiro nodded against him, prompting him to continue. “That night he said that you were ‘the light that stands bright and proud in the face of adversity’.” He paused again to give his brother a moment to process that information and looked over at you, still sleeping soundly on the floor.

Shiro followed his gaze, surprise taking over his expression at not only the fact that you were sleeping right next to the pod he had just been in, but also that you had felt that way about him and never told him. He knew you were proud of him, but he didn’t know the full extent of those feelings until he heard those words.

“He also said that I’m _‘the dark’_ ,” Kuro continued. “‘A protector in the shadows that silently watches over everyone’. Now who does that sound like?” He looks at his brother expectantly, waiting to hear the answer they both knew so well.

“The dark knight…” Shiro answered quietly.

“ _Batman_.” Kuro grinned at his brother as he admired the way his face took on a stupefied look.

“It all makes sense now. How did I not figure that out sooner?” Shiro ran the fingers of his prosthetic hand through his own hair, embarrassed by the fact that he hadn’t realized something he should’ve known right away. The two of them had read those comics as children and still loved superhero stories to this day.

“Well, in your defense you were kind of missing a crucial piece of information. Besides, I don’t even think _he_ realized what he said to me that night.”

“No, I didn’t. Not until I closed the door behind me and realized how much of a _nerd_ I am,” you said as you sat up on the floor and smiled at the two of them when their attention turned back to you. “In hindsight, you’re more of a Jason Todd than a Bruce Wayne though.”

“Red Hood, huh. That does suit me, but it’s still fun to say the Batman line,” Kuro replied with a smirk as he walked his brother over to the steps next to you.

“If he’s Jason, then who does that make _me_?” Shiro asked curiously.

“Dick Grayson,” you replied without hesitation. “You’re smart, funny, kind, and everyone loves you.”

Kuro snorts trying to hold back a laugh. “He’s not wrong, and I could totally see you rocking the Discowing costume,” he joked, helping Shiro sit down before taking a seat himself.

“Oh shut up!” Shiro lightly shoves his brother with the little bit of strength he had. With the effort it took just to do that much, he knew his body still needed time for recovery, but at least the worst of it seemed to be over.

You pulled the blanket off yourself and wrapped it around Shiro, pulling him into a warm hug. “I’m glad you’re okay,” you whispered in his ear before letting go. 

Shiro didn’t give you a chance to move away, wrapping his arm around you and pulling you closer, resting your face against his chest. “You waited here the entire time, didn’t you?” You hummed an affirmative and Shiro sighed. “How much sleep have you gotten?”

“Enough to function. I’ll sleep more later,” you said tiredly. 

Shiro scoffed and brushed aside your bangs, unable to ignore the dark circles under your eyes. “You’ll sleep more _now_. I’m still your commanding officer, remember?” He smiled down at you, waiting for your response. It felt just like the old days when you’d stay up late studying at the garrison and he had to force you to sleep.

“Oh, you’re gonna pull rank on me _now_ of all times?” You looked up at him with an amused smile on your face, sharing in the same nostalgia he was experiencing.

“You’re damn right I am. Although Ryou is going to have to carry you this time around. I can barely hold _myself_ up right now.”

The three of you laughed together, simply enjoying the fact that you were all alive and still able to have moments like this. The final battle with Zarkon was won, and every one of the paladins had survived. The time to rest was well earned, but they knew there was still more work ahead and no time to celebrate. At the very least they could take this time to recover before they head off into their next battle to protect the universe.

* * *

During Shiro’s recovery, Allura, Coran, Pidge, and Hunk continued their repairs of the damage that the castle of lions had received during the fight with Zarkon, while the rest of team Voltron went in search of much needed replacement parts and supplies. Kuro had been reluctant to leave his brother’s side, but getting the ship repaired as quickly as possible was essential to their efforts in defeating what was left of the galra empire, and he knew that Shiro would be just fine with you at his side.

By the time they had returned to the ship, Shiro had had enough of being confined to his bed. Ready and more than willing to get back into the fight, he scheduled a training session for the paladins in an effort to keep both them and himself in top form. After everything that’s happened, he found himself feeling restless and a good workout would certainly help burn off the excess energy that was building up inside of him.

Inside the training deck, Lance groans in protest of Shiro’s orders. This sudden meeting had him dreading getting out of bed today. “Aw man, do we really have to train again? We just beat Zarkon like a week ago! I need some down time!”

Shiro stares at Lance with a look of complete disapproval that has practically become his trademark ever since he became the leader of Voltron. “Lance, Zarkon was just one part of this fight. There are still enemy forces spread throughout the universe. We can’t just stop after taking down their leader. The universe needs us and we need to be at our best at all times.”

“ _Fine_ ,” Lance drawls, sagging forward in defeat. All he wanted to do today was have a lazy day to unwind, but he couldn’t argue against Shiro’s statement. He was right, and the fight was far from over. “It would just be nice to relax once in awhile so we don’t burn out.”

Smiling at Lance, Shiro walks over and pats him on the shoulder to comfort him. “I understand that, but right now we train, then later we can all relax as much as we want until it’s time to head out for our next mission. We have plenty of time since Allura and Coran are still finishing up repairs.”

Moving to the center of the room, Shiro gives his fellow paladins their assignments for today’s training. “Today we’re going to start with some one-on-one sparing, then we’ll all be challenging the gladiators. The purpose of this exercise is to see how far you’ve all advanced in your combat skills and what we need to work on.”

Shiro turns his attention to the youngest members of the team and begins pairing them off. Their matches would consist of Keith versus Pidge, and Hunk versus Lance. “In battle, you need to focus on your targets and take advantage of every opportunity that presents itself. I want you to pay close attention to each other’s movements and strike at the most opportune moment.”

Content with the nods he’d received from the bunch, he turned his attention to you and his brother. “The two of you are with me. Our fight is going to be a little different since there are three of us. I want you and Kuro to work together and try to take me down,” Shiro commanded with a wry smile. He couldn’t help but think about the days when the three of you had first started training together at the garrison. It was rare that they would go at each other all at once, or have a two versus one match.

Kuro smirks at his brother. “Are you sure that’s gonna be a fair fight? I don’t want you to come crying to me later after we kick your ass.” His voice was full of confidence with a hint of humor. He always felt he was the strongest of the two, and they would often tease and test each other about who really was, but in the end they had never really cared about it. It was just fun for them to test each other’s limits.

Glancing between Kuro and Shiro, you’re filled with a sense of playful mischief. Seeing the two of them acting like this around each other always managed to make you smile. It reminded you of the time you had wanted to spar with Kuro when he was being overly confident and had actually succeeded in taking him down. “Shiro, maybe you and I should kick _his ass_ to shut him up.”

Shiro laughs at the two of you and shakes his head. “No, that’s quite alright. After being out of the fight for so long, I’d like to see how well I do against you two.” He moves closer to the two of you and readies himself in a fighting stance, and the both of you follow his lead. “Everyone, begin!”

At the sound of Shiro’s commanding voice, the entire room bursts into a frenzy of hand-to-hand combat. Everyone was completely focused on their own fights, using their differences in body type to their advantages while seeking out each other’s weaknesses.

You didn’t have time to look around the room to see how everyone was doing. Not with the way that Shiro was coming at you and his brother like a demon unleashed. It was clear to you that Shiro had been eagerly awaiting this fight, full of energy and ready to rumble to his heart’s content. A part of you felt sorry for him for how long he had to stay confined to his bed, while another wished he wasn’t so damn fast for his size. It was like trying to dodge a large, angry brick wall. 

_A dangerous, sexy wall of muscle at that_ , you thought to yourself, getting distracted by the way his body flexed beneath his paladin armor. You could just imagine how they were rippling against the black bodysuit he wore beneath the armor.

Fighting off the flush you could feel trying to rise up on your flesh, you refocus your mind on the task at hand, just barely dodging a kick to your ribs from Shiro. He was not holding back this time, and you knew that was his way of respecting you as a fighter. He and Kuro always fought you with everything they had, even though you were aware that sometimes they would hold back just a little bit from fear of seriously injuring you, but this was different. This was a dangerous war you were training for, not a simple sparring session to test each other’s skills like in the past.

Shiro and Kuro had always been more adept at hand-to-hand combat than you, but even with Kuro at your side you felt your heart dreading every time Shiro focused on you. You didn’t have the nerve to tell him you haven’t been sleeping much lately, not after what had happened, and it was really slowing you down compared to how fast you usually moved in a fight. You could only hope that Shiro wouldn’t notice because you didn’t want to worry him.

The individual fights all ended at their own pace around the room. Pidge had put up a decent fight against Keith, but ultimately Keith’s experience had earned him a victory over her, this time. As for Hunk and Lance, you weren’t sure what happened, but it ended with Lance flat on his back looking depressed as ever, like he’d just lost the fight in one of the lamest ways possible. You’d seen that look on his face before and made a mental note to ask him about it later.

Your own fight however, had been long and exhausting, leaving you down and out before the fight had even come to an end. A mistake on your part had led to your utter downfall, but Shiro and Kuro had continued going at it after they made sure you were okay. Their fight ended in a draw, which came as no surprise to anyone in the room. They’d all witnessed their battles before and envied the way they moved like they were born for it. Combat had always proved to be one of the strong points of the Shirogane brothers.

After a short break, everyone began training with the robot gladiators, which had yielded varied results, but it was still a major improvement from the first time they had challenged only one of them as a team. Everyone had managed to eventually take down their target, but not before they received a thorough beat down from the robots. 

At the end of the session everyone was tired and sore all over, groaning in pain as they dragged themselves out of the training deck and back to their rooms. You hurried to your room as fast as your legs could carry you, eager to flop into your bed before your body decided to just crash to the floor beneath you.

The minute you step into your room you toss off your armor and suit, reveling in the feeling of cool air hitting your battered flesh for a moment before beginning to dress yourself in your normal attire. When you were just about to put your shirt on, you heard the door behind you hiss open and turned around to see who it was.

Kuro was standing in front of the door with a grimace on his face. When you noticed he was staring at your chest you quickly took your shirt and held it against your skin to cover it up. He moved towards you and slowly pulled your hands down with his own, eyes still locked onto your chest.

“I’m sorry,” he said as his fingers gently traced the edges of the slight bruise now blossoming on your chest. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

You sigh and pat his chest lightly in an effort to comfort him. “It’s not your fault. I’m the one who ran right into it,” you said with a laugh. “I guess I’m just a bit clumsy today.”

Kuro’s lips purse as he looks you straight in the eyes. “You shouldn’t lie.” He pulls you against him slowly, careful not to apply pressure to your wound. “You need to speak up and tell us when you’re too tired for training,” he chided. “I knew something was off with you, but I wasn’t sure what it was at first. You haven’t been sleeping again, have you?”

Sighing into his chest, you wrap your arms around him and enjoy the warmth of his body pressed against your bare skin before answering reluctantly. “No…I haven’t. I’ve had a lot on my mind and I just haven’t been able to rest much. Please don’t worry about me. I’m fine.”

Kuro hums in thought and you’re almost afraid that he’s going to push the subject, but then he shifts, pushing you away far enough to caress your cheek and pull you into a loving kiss. It was the gentlest kiss you’d ever received from him to this day and it made your heart flutter. Once didn’t seem to be enough for him though as he followed it with several more before pushing past your lips to touch his tongue against yours and deepen the kiss.

You moaned in his embrace before he pulled away and whispered in your ear. “Well if you need me to help you sleep, Kitten, just let me know.” His deep, sultry tone had your body responding to him in a matter of seconds. A knot of want and need coiling in your belly. 

Pressing your body against him, you pull him down for another kiss and he obliges before backing away with a soft chuckle. “ _Patience_ , Kitten. We still haven’t eaten dinner yet.”

You pout at his denial and he just smiles at you in return, making his way out the door before you could convince him to stay. It was times like these that made you hate the fact that he loved to tease you. You just knew you were going to be thinking about that kiss the entire time you’re trying to eat your dinner and worried that it might show on your face.

Sighing in frustration, you pick up your shirt that had fallen to the floor during that passionate encounter and pull it on carefully to avoid aggravating the throbbing bruise on your chest. You sit down on the bed, pulling on your shoes when someone else decides to let themselves into your sanctuary.

Lance saunters over to you and seats himself beside you on the bed. “Hey man, how you holding up? I saw you take some nasty friendly fire during that sparring match.” He looks you up and down, searching for injuries as if he could see through your clothing.

Chuckling at how stupid it was on your part, you shake your head and look at him. “I’m fine. It was totally my fault that I fell into that right hook from Kuro. I lost my footing,” you say with a shrug. “Damn if the galra don’t know how to make good weapons. That metal fist of his hurts like a bitch.”

Wincing at the thought of how much it must’ve hurt, Lance looks at you with sympathy. “If you need anything man, anything at all, just ask me. I’ve got your back.” 

He pats your back and it brings you comfort in knowing that Lance is a good kid who genuinely cares about the wellbeing of others. For as long as you’ve known him, he has always proven himself to be a great friend. Age never set any boundaries between you and the other members of the team, allowing you to feel close to them and talk about pretty much anything.

“That aside, what happened with you and Hunk? When I looked over you were sulking on the floor,” you tease, poking him in his side.

“ _Ugh_. I got distracted and Hunk flattened me on my ass within seconds,” Lance replied dejectedly. “I can’t believe I let my guard down.”

Laughing at him, you wrap your arm around him and pull him into a side-hug to cheer him up. “What had you so distracted that you lost your fight?” You were genuinely curious because Lance usually focused on his fights when he was training with his best friend. They were always trying to help each other improve when forced to train.

“I was watching the three of you. That fight was so intense I couldn’t take my eyes off it,” he admitted. “You three are _way_ above us in fighting ability and it’s fun to watch. I never know who’s going to win.”

You chuckle and let him go, thinking on everything that had happened and internally chastising yourself for your own mistakes. “Well, I’m sorry we distracted you today. I know I wasn’t at the top of my game either.”

“It’s not your fault. I just need to learn to focus more,” he says with a smile. 

The room fills with a comfortable silence, albeit a little awkward as it was uncharacteristic of Lance to abruptly stop talking, but then he shifted himself on the bed, turning to face you and you can’t help the way your eyebrow raises in question as he grins at you. “ _So_ ,” he drawls, and just by the sound you knew the subject was about to take a turn for the worst. “What was _that_ about?” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively as he pointed his thumb towards the door. “I’ve _never_ seen Kuro smile like that before. It was plastered on his face the whole time he was walking down the hall.”

Swallowing hard, you turn away from him. Every fear you had before was rushing forward in rapid succession and the feelings were too much all at once. You slowed your breathing, trying to steady the rapid beat of your heart while you thought of what to say. You knew this day was coming. That one of them would notice sooner or later, and now that it was here you felt like screaming and running out of the room. There was a strong need to escape writhing in your soul, but the fear rooted your body firmly to the bed.

“Um…I’m not sure what you mean.” You hate yourself for lying and knew he wouldn’t just let it go at that, but you were afraid of how he’d respond to the truth, trying to buy yourself some more time to think. In the back of your mind you were wishing someone else would barge through the door right about now to interrupt this conversation before it could go any farther.

“Oh c’mon, don’t lie to me! I know you know _exactly_ what I’m talking about. I’ve _seen_ the way he looks at you. You’re like the only other person he smiles that much around besides Shiro. It’s pretty obvious, dude.” Lance stares at you reproachfully, not at all amused by your evasive behavior.

“We’re just friends…” You didn’t even believe your own words with how weakly that protest came out and you refused to look at him. Why did he have to be so pushy when it came to personal matters? You were dreading every minute of it and scared of the end result should the truth come out. You didn’t want to push him away and hurt his feelings, but at the same time you didn’t want to admit your current relationship. The fear of losing your friends was once again taking hold of your heart and messing with your head.

“ _Dude_ , friends don’t tease friends the way _Kuro teases you_. That’s something guys do when they _really like someone_. I should know,” he says matter-of-factly. “He’s got it bad for you and I feel like something’s changed between the two of you. Don’t leave me in the dark here.”

You sigh heavily and stand up quickly, turning to face Lance with a pained expression. “Can we please not talk about this right now?”

Lance stares at you in shock of your odd behavior. Normally you were calm and in control of your emotions, but he could see the slight tremble of your hands and the fear in your body language. He stands up next to you slowly and gently grabs your hand. “Hey,” he says softly. “I’m sorry if I crossed a line. I just…” He stops himself and sighs, choosing his words carefully. “You’ve been acting a little weird lately and I thought maybe it was because you were feeling sick or something, but you’ve been like this for awhile now and it’s always when all of us are together.” 

He looks up at you waiting for you to return his gaze before he continues. “Did something happen between you guys or am I off my game with all this?”

You maintain eye contact with him in silence, taking in the worry and friendly love you see there. He’s always been nothing but the best at being selfless with the people he cares for, and more than once he’s risked his life to protect his friends. He was someone you knew would never abandon you, but you had been afraid those feelings wouldn’t apply to this situation.

Sighing in defeat, you squeeze his hand that had been gently holding yours the entire time, grounding you through the torrent of emotions within you. “I…It’s not just Kuro…Shiro and I…the three of us are…” You bite down on the inside of your lip trying to get the words out. It all felt so awkward to say out loud, but it seemed like you didn’t need to with the way Lance’s eyes suddenly enlarged like they were going to burst out of their sockets.

“ _Oh. My. God._ No way! You’ve got _both Shiroganes_ chasing after you?!” He squealed in disbelief, mouth agape at the revelation. You wince at the volume of his voice hoping no one can hear him, but he totally ignores you. “Dude, _twins_. You’re _dating twins_. You’re living the dream man!” 

He pulls you into a tight hug, celebrating this new information. You were so surprised by his reaction that you didn’t even feel the pain of his face pressing into the bruise on your chest. When the shock wears off you laugh at his excitement, feeling that you should’ve expected him to react this way because this was _Lance_ , and he had always been accepting of people the way they are. You were a bit angry at yourself for ever thinking he’d be anything but positive about the situation.

You pet his hair, holding him tightly in return. You were proud to have someone like him as a friend and wanted to make sure he was aware of that. “Thank you, Lance. Your support really means a lot to me.”

Lance backs away and beams at you. “I’ve _always_ got your back, you know that. But why didn’t you tell me sooner?” He looked at you with an innocent curiosity and it made your heart swell at how Lance was always so much more openly expressive with his emotions than you were.

“I was afraid to tell anyone because I didn’t want them to…to _hate me_ ,” you admitted sadly. “Something like _this_ …it’s not a normal occurrence. I didn’t think _any of you_ would accept it so easily.”

It was his turn to feel upset now as he looked up at you sadly. “Do you really think that? By now, you’ve been with us long enough to know we’ll always be there for you, right?” He takes both of your hands into his and grips them tightly. “I _know_ that there’s no way any of them would turn their backs on you for being in love, no matter what form it takes.” He lets go of your hands and grins at you with a little more confidence in his posture. “It’s like you once said to me before. Have a little more faith in yourself and you’ll be just fine. And I’ll be right there by your side to cheer you on.”

You smile at him softly, proud of how much he’s grown since the first day you all arrived in space. You were always the one supporting him when he was struggling emotionally, and now he was the one supporting you when you needed it the most. “Thank you.”

Wiping away a tear that slipped down your cheek, you pulled him into another loving hug, basking in the warmth of this beautiful boy that you sometimes wished was your own. You knew his mother would be proud of him if she could see him now, and hoped that one day you’d meet her to tell her all about his achievements in space and as a person.

When your emotions settled down, you backed away and sat back down on the bed, leading him down by his hand to join you. Since he took it upon himself to pry into your love life today, you weren’t about to let him walk off without prodding him about his too. He was preaching to you about being honest, but he was the one dancing around his obvious attraction to certain other teammates for quite some time now. “So what about you and Allura… _and Keith_?” You ask with a mischievous smile, self-confidence returning to you in spades.

Lance chokes on his own spit, head wiping in your direction with an incredulous expression. “ _Keith?!_ ” He said flabbergasted. “No way man! Nu-uh! Keith and I are _so_ not into each other,” he denies vehemently.

“Uh-huh. And I’m Mary Poppins,” you say sarcastically. Lance frowns at you and you smack his shoulder. “ _Don’t even_. You made me spill _my guts_ , now it’s _your turn_.” You narrow your gaze at him, eyes piercing through his soul and he shivers, looking away from you.

“ _Fine!_ Jesus. I like him, okay?” He says exasperated. “I mean yeah, he does piss me off sometimes, but I don’t know…there’s just _something_ about him that I can’t quite place.”

Lance crosses his arms over his chest, brows furrowed in deep concentration. You could tell that he really didn’t understand his own feelings on the matter and you weren’t going to push it too far, but you had to ask. “Did you say anything to him about it?”

Jolting upright, he turned back to you with wide eyes. “ _No!_ God, no. How could I? I mean, what if he genuinely hates me? Or has zero interest in me? Or is disgusted at even the thought of it?” Lance rambles on and on and you can’t help laughing at his hypocritical behavior. He was just telling you to believe in yourself a few minutes ago and now here he was doubting himself again.

“Lance, _calm down_ ,” you said softly, pulling him into a hug again. “Try to tell him at your own pace, but don’t totally ignore him. Maybe drop some hints here and there, and see how it pans out.” You smile down at him, but he sighs and continues to look worried.

“What about Allura?” He asks weakly, his voice full of uncertainty.

“Well,” you begin as you squeeze him a little closer against you. “That’s entirely up to you. Follow your heart and make your decision. I have a feeling that both of them really like you, Lance. You just need to be honest with them about how you feel. Eventually your feelings will get through, I’m sure of it.”

Lance nods and moves to stand up, looking down at you with a small smile gracing his features. “Thanks, man. I think I needed that just as much as you did.”

You return the sentiment and walk him to the door, your hand gently resting on his shoulder the entire way. It wasn’t until he was in front of the door that he turned around to ask you one last question. “Are you going to tell them?”

Taking a deep breath, you nod your head slowly before meeting his gaze. “Yeah. I will soon. I just need to talk to Shiro and Kuro to make sure they’re okay with it.”

“Alright. I promise I’ll keep it to myself the best I can.” With those words Lance made his exit, leaving you to think about what you were going to say to the other paladin’s should Shiro and Kuro agree to come out about it. This talk felt like it was a long time coming, and the nervousness of the impending conversation hadn’t ebbed one bit since the first time it crossed your mind, but you weren’t going to let your fear get the better of you. Not this time. You had to have faith in your friends--in your _family_. Lance had given you the courage to voice your feelings to them, and it was time to see it through to the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be patient for the next chapter as I do not have a lot of time to work on typing it up and editing it at the moment. Not to mention the fact that I’m having problems with my computer right now. It may be awhile before I can get it done and posted.


	8. Love and Friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My sincerest apologies for the four month wait. I had not intended to make everyone wait this long, but it just happened that way. lol I had this chapter already typed up and ready to be edited after the previous one was posted, but with my computer being dumb and other things demanding my attention, I never got around to finishing the editing process until now.
> 
> That aside, I never expected to see this even reach 100 kudos. I’m deeply honored by your love and support for my work and I hope that you will continue to enjoy it.
> 
> I have mixed feelings about this chapter because I feel like it’s not good enough, but I’m pretty sure that’s just me being overly critical with myself, as per usual. lol I really hope it was worth the wait for you though.
> 
> Without further adieu, I give you the final chapter of part one.  
> Enjoy~ ♥

Dinner came and went with everyone breaking off for the night to go do their own thing. It was the perfect time for Shiro to kick back and review the footage of the day’s training to assess his team’s progress and plan out their future sessions. Laying on his bed, he began watching the video on a handheld device that had been given to him by Coran. In some odd way it resembled Earth’s mobile computers known as ‘tablets‘, except it had no screen to speak of. Instead there was a light construct that spread out from the device to form a holographic display, much like most of the altean technology he’d become accustomed to during his time aboard the castle ship.

Before he was even halfway through his review, there was a knock at the door and two familiar figures made their way in. The first thing Shiro noticed about the pair was the uncomfortable expression on your face and the way you were tightly gripping his brother’s wrist as you led him through the door. 

Shiro turned off the device, giving you his complete and immediate attention. “What happened?” He asked carefully as he watched you stop in front of him, eyes fixated on the floor beneath you. You never once looked at him upon entering the room and that worried him. “Is everything alright?

You took a deep breath and finally looked him in the eyes. “We need to talk...All three of us.”

Understanding just by the tone of your voice that this conversation was going to be serious, Shiro nodded slowly and shifted over on his bed to make room for the both of you. Only when you sat down did he dare to ask what the subject was about. “Is this about my near-death experience, or did something else happen that I’m unaware of?”

Sighing heavily, you clench your hands tightly together in your lap, trying to think of what to say. There was no easy way to start this conversation so you opted to just get straight to the point like ripping off a Band-Aid. “So…Lance approached me about our relationship earlier. He already knows, but he thought it was just me and Kuro until I corrected him,” you began to say, fidgeting with your fingers as you felt the gaze of both Kuro and Shiro watching you intensely now. “I feel like we should tell them, even though I’ve been afraid of it this whole time. I can’t stand tiptoeing around them and I don’t like keeping secrets from them either.”

Kuro shifts on the bed, his posture displaying his discomfort at the current topic. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” he said cautiously.

It was no surprise to either you or Shiro that he’d feel that way, given that he had always been unwilling to let people in in the past, but things have changed since then. Even so, Kuro was still as careful as he always was, keeping to himself what he didn’t want others to know.

A brief silence passed between them, allowing the current predicament to really settle in for everyone involved. No good would ever come of holding onto this secret forever. If anything it has felt like a weight bearing down on the three of them, having to dance around their affection for one another, keeping it safely hidden behind closed doors.

Having had enough of secrets himself and hiding who he is, Shiro finally broke the silence. “No, he’s right. It’s only a matter of time before they all figure it out. It’s better to come out with the truth now rather than having this situation become something more than it needs to be. We’re a team, and as a team we need to be honest with each other. We should tell them.”

You looked at Shiro with a feeling of half shock and half pride in your heart. Surprised that he’d agreed to come out about your relationship, but proud that he felt so strongly about the team, especially when it came to personal matters. You reached over and covered his hand with yours to give it a gentle squeeze and he smiled at you in return.

“I’m more than positive that Keith knows because he’s been a part of our lives the longest,” Shiro continues. “But he hasn’t said anything to me yet. Most likely out of respect for our privacy.”

“Wouldn’t put it past him,” Kuro murmurs before straightening himself up to face his brother. “But don’t you think there’s something more important that _we_ need to be confessing right now?” He stares at his brother intently, hoping his message is getting across.

Knowing what he meant, Shiro placed his attention back on you, observing the way your eyes look back at him questioningly. He was sure you didn’t know. They hadn’t told you yet and you never once asked them about it before. He closed his eyes for a moment and just focused on his breathing, preparing himself for what he was about to say. He knew you were okay with the way things were, being in this three-way romance with them. What he wasn’t sure about though was how you would handle knowing what had transpired before all this. They both feared it at one point in time, but things were different now. You were together and they didn’t want to keep it from you anymore.

Kuro grabbed your other hand when his brother opened his eyes. They nodded to each other and Shiro let the words fall free from his lips. “Ryou and I have been romantically involved with each other long before we met you and we feel you have a right to know that.”

It felt like your brain had short-circuited when his words hit your ears. Your mind repeating the sentence over and over like a broken record. You had known they were close, known that they were affectionate with each other, but never in a million years would you have guessed that they had been having _sex_ with each other. You didn’t know what to say to that.

Shiro took your blank expression as a bad sign and quickly followed up on what he had said. “I-I mean, when we were teenagers we messed around a bit, but it didn’t become actual sex until we got into a bad argument and realized how strongly we feel about each other.” He nervously began rubbing at the back of his neck, hoping his words haven’t offended you or scared you away.

You sat there in a tense silence, struggling to find the right words, still in shock over what had been said. What _was_ the right thing to say to that? You honestly felt that you didn’t have an answer.

Kuro tucks his index finger beneath your chin, turning your head to face him. “We love each other very much, but we love you just the same. Nothing is ever going to change that. We just hope this doesn’t change your mind.”

The love and honesty in his eyes made your heart skip a beat, but your brain finally tuned into the fact that they both looked unsettled by their confession. Their insecurity and fear reminded you of your own, bringing forth the words you couldn’t find before. “I…It’s okay. I get it, I just… _wow_.” You look away from Kuro, unable to look him in the eyes with your face starting to flush at the thought of the two of them naked and _together_ in such a way. Your mind was having a field day with it, fantasies running wild at what their lives had been like before you met them.

You rub your hands over your face in a desperate attempt to cover up your perverse thoughts and refocus your mind on an actual intelligible response to what they had said. Breathing slowly to settle your nerves, you straighten your posture and address them both with all the sincerity you held in your heart. “Whatever happened between you two before isn’t any of my business, and even if it’s still going, I’m totally fine with that.” 

Looking between them, you take in the way the tension in their shoulders visibly relaxes at your words before continuing your speech. “I never imagined that the two of you were in that kind of relationship, but I love you both and I know how much you mean to each other. And I…” You bite down on your lip, embarrassed by what you were about to say, but you felt they needed to hear it. Hell, _you_ needed to hear it because it was all you could really think about now. “I think the two of you together is really… _hot_.”

Too embarrassed to look at either of them after the truth came out, you missed the way Kuro grinned from ear to ear, but there was no way you could miss the sound of Shiro’s surprised gasp. Before you realized what was happening they both smothered you in a bear hug, all three of you crashing backward onto the bed.

“Damn, kitten. If I didn’t know you better I’d think you really were a pervert,” Kuro chuckles against your ear, his warm breath brushing across your flesh sending shivers down your spine. His brother joins him in this, nibbling at your other ear, humming contently.

“This feels so surreal,” Shiro says breathlessly. “I never thought this was possible. Before it felt like I was asking for too much, but now I can’t imagine myself without it. We belong together…just like this.” He pulls the two of you closer to him, fully incasing you in their warmth.

To anyone else this heat might feel stifling, but to you, it felt like heaven. You had never in your life felt as loved as you do in this moment, and you were happy that they loved each other just as much. It washed away all remaining doubt and insecurity you may have held about the stability of this relationship, allowing you to simply relish in the moment, their affection soothing your heart and soul.

The three of you stayed that way for quite some time until Shiro finally, and reluctantly, made the both of you head back to your rooms when you had started falling asleep. He wanted everyone to be able to get a good night’s rest, and he still had to finish reviewing the video he had been trying to watch earlier. Tomorrow was going to be a big day after all. They were planning to let the cat out of the bag as they say, and Shiro wanted to be fully prepared for it.

* * *

The lounge was already buzzing with conversation when you entered the room, your eyes immediately seeking out Shiro and Kuro who had called this meeting in the first place. Your heart was beating nervously in your chest as the two of them acknowledged your presence and walked toward you.

Clearing his throat loud enough for everyone to hear, the other paladins, Allura, and Coran all quieted down and gave Shiro their undivided attention. “I know you’re all wondering why I gathered you here this morning, and while it isn’t mission related, I feel it’s still equally important.”

You looked upon Shiro with admiration. His voice and posture carrying it’s usual confidence even when he’s about to reveal the truth about a sensitive and very personal subject. Shiro never backed down from his fears, always fighting back with everything he had to overcome it no matter how long it took. The pride you felt inside you at knowing this man, and loving him made your heart swell, hoping that one day you could be as confident as he was at this very moment.

“While it is a rather personal subject, I feel that we’ve all become close enough that keeping secrets from each other isn’t necessary. We’re a family now, and as such I don’t want to hide the truth from you any longer.” 

Shiro looked around the room to all his friends, hoping that he wasn’t about to make the biggest mistake of his life. He was sure you and his brother were feeling the same way right now, but it was better this way. It had to be. Regardless of the outcome they would not change their minds about how they feel just because others choose not to accept it.

“The three of us,” he says as he gestures to you and his brother at his side, “are in love with each other and we don’t want to hide that from you any longer. We are fully aware that our relationship isn’t something everyone can handle, and were afraid that it would cause conflict among the team, so we chose to hide it. But now…Now we feel the need to express it. We want you to know _because_ you’re our family.”

The room fell uncomfortably quiet at the end of Shiro’s brave and heartfelt speech, leaving you with that unsettling feeling twisting in your gut again. Lance had assured you everything would be okay, but now you were second guessing that and wishing you had kept your mouth shut. You couldn’t help, but feel that Kuro was right. Maybe this really wasn’t a good idea.

Fear threatening to take hold of you again, you shut your eyes and try to think of anything else. Wished you were anywhere else, until Keith’s voice pierced the silence.

“You all owe me fifty bucks when we get back to Earth,” Keith said triumphantly with a smug smile on his face.

“Aw man, I was hoping you forgot about that,” Lance groans, folding his arms petulantly across his chest.

You blink slowly, dumbfounded at the scene that was now playing before you. “Wait. What’s going on?”

Pidge looks at you with pity before bitterness twisted her expression as she looked to Keith. “We all placed a bet on which Shirogane would win your heart, and Keith was the only one who bet both of them would. Clearly he was withholding information from us.” She was already formulating in her mind all the ways to get back at him for lying about not knowing any details.

Kuro laughs at this, only mildly surprised that they would be childish enough to place bets about someone’s love life. His brother was still standing beside him at a loss for words.

You pinch the bridge of your nose, irritated that you had been freaking out this whole time about their reaction only to find out that they’d been gambling behind your back. “I can’t believe you guys…Betting on the outcome of my future is _so_ not cool,” you grumble, exasperated by this whole ordeal. In truth, you knew you only had yourself to blame for getting so worked up about it, even though your worries were justified.

Allura, ever the curious creature that she was, broke through your frustration when she asked, “Is your courtship not something common among earthlings?”

This got Kuro laughing again and you shoved him, knowing full well that he’d be all too eager to fill her in on the ‘mating rituals’ of human kind. Opting to never give him that chance, you answered her question as quickly as possible. 

“Uh, no, not really. On Earth it’s more widely accepted that two humans of opposing sexes court each other, but times are changing and people are becoming more accepting of same sex relationships.” You run your fingers through your hair, unsure of how to express your own relationship, but trying your best to get the words out. “A relationship like ours is…well some think it taboo, as if it’s wrong. Shiro and Kuro are brothers, and that alone bothers some people. A courtship involving three people is just as unacceptable to our current society…”

The words felt bitter on your tongue. Thoughts of people’s unjustified hatred and malice twisting and burning in your heart. You could never understand why people chose to hate something that had nothing to do with them, or was different from them in any way. It was one of humanity’s most unbecoming features. Something you hoped Allura would never have to see.

Allura hummed in thought. “I see,” she said sadly. “On Altea, courtship of all kinds was widely accepted. Even with those of the Galra race…before the war.”

Moving over to Allura, you sat down next to her and hugged her. You knew that all this time she had been suffering with the memories of all she’s lost, and it made you feel that your own worries were insignificant in comparison. Still, you were glad it was over. That they all knew the truth now and apparently had been anticipating at least part of it for some time.

“Well, everyone on this ship approves. Right guys?” Lance looks to his friends with a bright smile on his face.

Everyone nods in response, content smiles all around the room as they looked to the Shirogane twins and you. The happiness that filled your heart outshone the fear that had been eating away at you for such a long time. This was real. They accepted you all for who you are and it felt like nothing could ever break you apart.

 _So this is what family is supposed to feel like_ , you thought to yourself as you smiled back at them. No words could truly describe the joy you felt in having met so many wonderful people in one lifetime. It was something you were sure you would never forget.

“Now that that’s settled, time to lecture you all about your performance yesterday,” Kuro said with a smirk as the young paladins groaned in unison.

“It’s not as bad as you think, and training is essential if we’re going to win this war.” Shiro chuckled, looking to his weary friends. As much as he’d like to go easy on them, he knew that they needed this if they were going to survive this war, and he was going to make damn sure to protect his family no matter what odds they may face in the future.

* * *

Later that evening, you found yourself in a situation that was far more than you felt you could handle. Shiro and Kuro had both escorted you to your room after dinner, and took it upon themselves to lock the door and strip you of your clothing within a matter of seconds. Now you were lying on the bed, or rather on top of Shiro, with your back against his chest while Kuro settled himself between your legs. It was like something out of your most erotic fantasies and having it become a reality was far more intense than you had imagined.

Kuro had already begun preparation, stretching you open as far as you could go without hurting you, all the while kissing and nipping at your hips and thighs. Shiro’s hands explored your body, caressing every inch of flesh with a gentle touch, seeking out your most sensitive areas and committing them all to memory.

Far too eager to reach his long awaited goal, Kuro wastes no time in lining himself up with your entrance, breathing heavily in anticipation as Shiro grips your thighs, spreading your legs wide for him. Gazing upon the erotic display and your flush cheeks, he wanted nothing more than to tease you relentlessly and make you beg for him, but he didn’t have the will too. Not when he’s got you right where he wants you after all this time. A blushing, panting mess beneath him. That needy expression on your face did things to him, and he couldn’t resist it any longer. He pushes inside you, both of you moaning as he buries himself deeper. “How are you feeling, Kitten?” Kuro asks softly against your ear, his tongue tracing the edge, sending a shiver down your spine.

Another moan was the only sound you could manage to make. Your body was stretching almost painfully to accommodate him, but it was a good kind of pain. A pain that you knew would soon turn into pure pleasure the minute he decides to move.

He chuckles at your inability to speak and gently nips at your neck with his teeth. “Too good for words, huh?”

Kuro begins to vigorously thrust into you, unable to hold back the excitement that had been building inside him ever since his very first thoughts of ravishing your body. He praised the gods that Shiro had suggested this arrangement. Neither of them wanted anyone to feel left out and this was the best solution. There was something hot about having his twin hold you while he made love to you. It was fanning the flames inside of him even more.

“Oh god, Kuro!”

He leans into you, kissing you breathless before pulling back for air. “Tell me what you want, Kitten.”

“Faster! _Please!_ ”

Kuro obeys without hesitation, slamming himself into you with all his might. His hands gripping your legs tightly as you fucks you harder, faster, breathing through clenched teeth as the pleasure builds inside him.

Every sound that escapes your lips drives him closer to the end, and he can feel you edging right along with him. Your silken walls clenching down on him, squeezing him so tightly he can’t stop the lewd moan that comes forth. The sensations consuming his entire being were far better than he had anticipated. Finally able to connect with you in the same way his brother had, he felt elated and overwhelmed all at once, and he knew he wasn’t the only one.

Beneath him, you writhe in ecstasy against Shiro’s body, panting and moaning while Kuro had his way with you. Every powerful thrust hitting that place deep inside you that drove you mad with pleasure. He was every bit as skilled as Shiro, and just as large too. They truly were twins in nearly every way, except the eyes. Those beautiful amber eyes shining in the dim light, watching you intently. Admiring every change in your expression as you came ever closer to your climax.

Shiro glides his flesh hand softly along your chest, up your throat, and beneath your chin, gripping it to tilt your head up toward him. Slipping his tongue between your gasping lips, he steals your breath away with a desperate kiss.

You could feel how hard his loins had become with the way it was pressing against the flesh of your lower back. With what little ability you had left to even form your thoughts, you couldn’t help but admire how unbelievably patient he was being in this situation. Then again, Kuro had done the same before inside the lion, and it spoke volumes to you about how much respect and love the two had for each other. Shiro was patiently awaiting his turn, and just the thought of that turned you on even more.

Whimpering in his arms as he pulls away from the kiss, you’re about to ask him for more when Kuro picks up his pace, driving his length into you harder and faster than you had thought possible. Crying out in pleasure, you wrap your arms around him, pulling him down to you, consumed by a need to be closer than you already were. You could feel that wonderful knot inside you getting ready to burst and you begged him for release. Begged him to come with you.

Kuro let out a deep moan at your request, spouting filthy words into your ear between panting breaths. His only desire was to grant it. To fill you with his seed the same way Shiro had during your first time. The thought drove him wild, giving you everything he had until finally, the two of you hit your peak, coming together just as you had wished.

Groaning at the feeling of your walls crushing his length, milking him for everything he was worth, he pulled your trembling body into his arms, sitting back on the bed with you in his lap. Resting your head against his shoulder, he held you there tightly. The two of you stayed that way, lost in the euphoria that followed your climax, breathing heavily as you slowly came down from your high.

When the moment passed, Shiro moved around behind Kuro as he carefully laid your exhausted body back down on the bed. The minute he let go of you, Shiro pulled him into his arms, kissing him deeply. 

Their soft moans filled the room as you lie there catching your breath, eyes closed as you listened to the sweet sound of their love. It brought a smile to your face that you weren’t even aware of, and neither were they, too lost in their passionate exchange.

“Takashi,” Kuro sighs against his brother’s lips, gripping at his erection and pumping it softly. 

Shiro reciprocates by gripping his ass with both hands, his fingers exploring Kuro’s awaiting hole. They slipped inside with ease, a telltale sign of just how much he had already prepared himself prior to this engagement. Shiro smiled to himself at his brother’s eagerness and how he anticipated how this night would go.

Not wanting to keep him waiting any further, Kuro pulled away and placed himself on all fours above you, presenting himself to Shiro like an animal in heat. You didn’t stir beneath him, seemingly still lost in the haze of your own euphoria.

Unable to restrain himself any longer, Shiro grips Kuro’s hips and buries himself to the hilt in one swift thrust. Kuro moans loudly, trembling beneath him from the sensitivity he was still experiencing in the aftermath of his previous orgasm. Shiro knew he loved it when he got a little rough, knowing full well he could take it even in his current state, and with that knowledge he proceeded without hesitation, starting up a brutal assault against his prostate.

Kuro didn’t bother holding back this time, letting out every lewd moan that Shiro could pull from him. It was partly for Shiro, partly for you, and also for himself as he enjoyed the feeling of being so deeply connected to his other half. They had indulged in this so many times before and yet every time always felt like the first. Passionate, overwhelming and intoxicating all at once.

Moaning at the sight above you, Kuro smirks down at you in return, adoring the flush on your cheeks that had become even redder than before. “Sounds like someone is enjoying the view,” he says amused.

He does his best to watch you through Shiro’s ministrations, encouraging you to actively participate. “Touch me, Kitten. I know you want to.” 

The alluring depth of his voice made you shudder, his flesh hand guiding yours up to his manhood. You hesitated only for a moment, wondering what would even make him feel good, before wrapping your fingers around his leaking cock, giving it the attention it craved. He moaned at your touch, surging downward to bite at your neck yet again, leaving another mark of affection. It was all the encouragement you needed to become bolder. To pleasure him as you had done to yourself so many times before.

“Don’t let him come until I say,” Shiro orders, causing you to falter in your stroking as he catches your attention.

Kuro clicked his tongue looking back toward his brother with an amused smile on his face. “Spoiled sport.”

Smiling back at him, Shiro leans forward to whisper in his ear. “Says the man who _loves it_ when I deny him on occasion.” 

_So_ this _is how they tease each other_ , you thought to yourself as you watched their exchange, logging the information away in your mind for possible future use.

You did as you were told. Gripping Kuro’s length tightly at it’s base, denying him any form of release. He bites down on his lower lip, riding out the waves of pleasure and pain when Shiro renews his pace.

With each passing second, you witnessed the veil that shielded Kuro’s emotions slowly start to crumble away. The man you’d known to always be strong, assertive and impenetrable, was now becoming a whimpering, moaning mess above you, begging to be allowed to come. You had never seen him so vulnerable before in your life. To think that Ryou could be brought to his knees by anyone was unthinkable until now and it made your feelings for him that much stronger.

You look to Shiro in a silent plea to grant Kuro’s request. He nods to you as he increases his pace, his own orgasm fast approaching. You loosen your grip on him, just enough to begin stroking again, matching Shiro’s rough pace with your own.

Crying out in pleasure, Kuro’s whole body trembles in Shiro’s arms, his seed spilling forth, making a mess on your skin as the warmth of his brother’s fills him up inside. They remain like that until the moment passes. Shiro’s strong arms supporting Kuro’s now limp body.

Shiro carefully lies his brother down beside you, placing himself on the opposite side to encase you in their warmth once again.

“ _Fuck_ …that was…” Kuro pants heavily, still trying to catch his breath after such strenuous lovemaking.

“Yeah,” Shiro responded contently, moving in closer to you. “That was far better than anything I could have ever dreamed.”

You nod at his words, snuggling in close to him as Kuro did the same to you. Basking in the moment, you wished you could remain like this for as long as possible. It was a moment of love and serenity that didn’t come often during this long war, and you were certain that it wouldn’t come back around anytime soon. But for right now, nothing else in the world mattered as you simply enjoyed being together, for what you hope would never be the last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For my curious little kittens, the next chapter explains how this story came to be, and the possibility of a continuation. So if you’re interested, give it a read. Again, I thank you all for your support and I look forward to sharing more stories with you in the future.


	9. (Afterward)

Hello everyone and thank you for reading! I greatly appreciate the kudos and positive feedback that you all have given so far, and I’m really happy you enjoyed this story. That said, I’d like to clarify a few things for those who may be curious. 

In this story, the character Kuro is in fact my own creation. I started ideas for him even before the first season of Voltron: Legendary Defender had aired, and you can imagine how ecstatic I was when the ‘Kuron project’ was mentioned in the series, and when Hagar first pulled a doppelganger move on Shiro. It practically made my idea canon. lol

I grew up with the original Voltron show and loved it, so naturally later on in life I looked it up and learned that Sven, or Takashi in the original Japanese version, had a brother that was unfortunately (and stupidly) censored out of the English version. I think we can all agree censorship was a bit lame back then. There was no need to censor his death in the series. There’s death in Disney movies for crying out loud. Not to mention anime is not just for kids.

Anyway, so after I learned about that, I never forgot it, and when they started talking about and advertising the new series, I started fleshing out this concept with Takashi’s brother and gave his character the nickname Kuro. The reason I picked that name was because I have had knowledge of a few Japanese words for many years of my life and wanted him to be the ‘black’ to Shiro’s ‘white’. It’s somewhat similar to an original story I had written years ago as a child that features characters that have the exact names Shiro and Kuro. I’ve always been quite fond of those names.

Now that you know all of that, I’d like to say that if my version of ‘Kuro’ (or Kuron) does not meet your expectations, I apologize, but he is who he was always meant to be, and I hope that you can love him for the way he is. I know I do. lol He’s my baby and I cherish him as much as I cherish Takashi Shirogane.

With that out of the way, I’m sorry the story is so short. As I said in the beginning, this was just a side thing. An alternate version of events for an original Voltron LD fic I started writing at day one of the new series. It’s basically a ‘what if Takashi had a twin brother when the main character met him and how would that affect their journey’ scenario, because I really, _really_ wanted to include my Kuro into the story. 

I also rewrote it from it’s original form as the episodes came out. For example, the hovercraft scene with Shiro and the main character had originally been a dangerous motorcycle ride, which was later changed into what it is now to better reflect the actual series and make it feel closer to the canon storyline. The final version being a change in perspective to a reader-insert before posting (which is why it took awhile to get each chapter up) because even without searching, I’m fairly certain there just isn’t enough male-reader out there. I kind of expect to see yaoi fans doing that in the form of artwork rather than written works. That said, I encourage you all to try writing a male-reader story for the series because frankly it would be nice to read one that I haven’t written myself. lol

When I started this fic, I had the goal in mind to try and break myself out of the discomfort of writing ‘smut’ scenes, or ‘explicit sex scenes’ for romance. Basically a writing exercise I assigned to myself, which is why it even includes smut to begin with. I don’t think I succeeded. I still feel awkward writing it. *sigh* Looks like I’m going to need more practice time until it becomes as comfortable as my normal writing.

That other fic I mentioned is still ongoing because the series was not over yet at the time I started posting this one, and I want to see the end before I wrap it up. I have yet to even watch season 8 and I don’t plan to anytime soon because I’m busy right now. I may post it one day once I finish it and I hope you look forward to reading it if I do.

Thank you again and bless you all for taking the time to show me you enjoy my work as much as I enjoy creating it.

If you would like to see this alternate universe version with the twins continue, just post it here in the comments to let me know. While this was only meant to be a one-time side project in the beginning, I did go ahead and create ideas for possible continuing story arcs at the time. If there is enough interest in seeing it continued, I may start writing out the next part of this AU.


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